Warning on wrongly fitted child car seats

A safety warning has been issued after hundreds of child car seats were found to be incorrectly fitted during checks in Moray and neighbouring Aberdeenshire.

Road safety officers found that of the 513 child seats that were checked, no fewer than 329 were wrongly fitted and could have caused serious or even fatal injuries in the event of an accident.

Road safety education officer Lucy Cramb urged parents to follow the instructions when fitting a child seat since they were based on the results of crash testing.

“All legal car seats have an ‘E’ label attached giving information on the regulations to which they conform – either S129 or EE44.04. Seats marked E44.03 are still legal to use but not to sell. Seats without this label are illegal to use.”

Mrs Cramb said that when choosing a seat, parents should check that it is compatible with the car and the child’s weight and height and should ask the retailer to show how to fit the seat.

Willie Findlay of the Moray Community Safety Partnership said the number of incorrectly fitted child seats was alarming.

“It is incumbent on all drivers to be responsible on our roads and this extends to being responsible for those passengers they carry, particularly the very young.

“Used correctly, child seats can prevent serious or, in the worst case, fatal injury and I would urge any driver to seek advice if they are unsure about the suitability of their child seat.”

The checks which were carried out over the summer also found 11 children in Moray being driven while completely unrestrained – which is not only illegal but also extremely dangerous.

Car seat clinics are held regularly across Moray and any questions about in-car safety can be directed to communitysafety@moray.gov.uk

Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 95,510 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.

Headquartered in  Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.