ROSPA Child Seat Restraints Website
A high proportion of child restraints are incorrectly fitted. Typically, surveys find that around two-thirds of the seats checked are poorly fitted. Usually, around half of the incorrectly fitted seats need some sort of minor adjustment and about half need a major adjustment. Approximately 10% are incompatible with the car or the child.
Surveys also identify that the majority of people receive little or no advice on how to fit the child restraint when they purchase it.
The European Council and European Parliament have approved a new Directive that will require Member States to change their national laws to require children who are travelling in cars to use an appropriate child restraint. This will remove the current loophole in the UK law that says restraints must be used “if available”. Therefore, it is likely that the use of child restraints will increase substantially over the next few years, which is likely to be accompanied by a concurrent increase in badly fitted restraints. It is anticipated that this will generate a need for more information and advice; this continuously updated website does just that.
Contact: Kevin Clinton 0121 248 2000 www.childcarseats.org.uk