THREE quarters of child car seats in the county’s cars are either wrongly fitted or incompatible with the vehicle, according to tests carried out by the council.
Wiltshire Council trading standards officers found 124 out of the 173 car seats tested could fail in the event of an accident. The council teamed up with independent experts to offer free checks at supermarkets in Salisbury, Devizes, Chippenham and Trowbridge earlier this autumn.
Drivers with badly-fitted seats were shown how to make them safe.
Many of the problems related to buckles not being in the right place or twisted straps, while several car seats were found not to be compatible with the car.
In-car safety seat specialist Cathy Lyons, of V & C Consultants said: “Parents and guardians need to buy the appropriate seat for the child and the car, it needs to be fitted correctly and checked regularly as seats will become loose in use.”
Cabinet member for public protection, Keith Humphries, said: “We would like to thank all parents and carers for taking the opportunity to get their seats checked. “The number of car seats found not to be fitted correctly certainly highlights the need for further events to reinforce the message to all motorists.”
Information on how to ensure your seat is fitted properly can be found at goodeggsafety.com.
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