The free Child Restraint Checking Day held recently discovered that 60% of the child restraints checked were incorrectly fitted. The service, offered by Forbes Shire Council and Jelbart Dawson, provided free child restraint inspections at the only RMS Authorised Child Restraint Fitting Station in Forbes. Five child restraints were brought in by parents, grandparents and carers for checking.
Forbes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Logan Dolbel, said that research showed that two out of three child restraints are not being used properly and this put children at risk of sustaining injuries if they are involved in a crash.
“Most of the child restraints that were checked only had minor problems that
needed fixing to ensure the safety of the child,” said Logan. “The most common mistakes were related to the use of the lap sash seatbelt and the straps on the child restraint – they needed tightening, they were too tight, or
were incorrectly positioned. Nearly all of the restraints checked also needed additional parts like gated buckles to ensure the safety of the restraint and the child.
Logan said the correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints was vital. “Child restraints that are not correctly fitted put children at risk of injury in the event of a crash. It is important to make sure that your precious cargo is safe and buckled up every time they are in the car – whether it’s a five minute or five hour journey.” According to Logan people who attended the checking day said they had come along because they were uncertain as to whether their child restraints were correctly installed.
Information and advice was also available about the types of child restraints, the national laws and when to move children from one restraint to the next. This is the second time that free child restraint checking days have been held in Forbes as part of the I’m counting on you project. If you missed out on this great opportunity, Jelbart Dawson & Co can install and check child restraints every day for a small fee.