Here’s a terrifying statistic – fifty four per cent of child car seats checked by the Road Safety Authority’s Check it Fits service were incorrectly fitted and needed adjustment to make them safe.

The RSA have announced that their face-to-face child car seat checking service – Check it Fits –is coming to Tesco Extra Drogheda, Donore Rd, Drogheda, A92 X820 on Tuesday 22 July 2025 from 10.00 am - 5.30pm

Car seats may seem simple to install, but it is easy to get it wrong. The RSA have found that almost a third of seats fitted incorrectly needed major adjustments. If a child’s car seat isn’t fitted correctly, it could lead to a serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision.

“We know parents are not intentionally putting children in danger and it is an education issue. To help address this problem, the RSA Check it Fits service will be visiting to help parents and ensure car seats and restraints are correctly fitted” said Ron Richardson, Lead checker for the RSA.

“While the RSA’s experience with its Check it Fits service shows that half of child car seats are fitted incorrectly, worryingly, it found that 30% of these needed a major adjustment to fix them.

“For example, the seat being excessively loose so as to make the fitting almost ineffective. 67% were minor adjustments, for example, the fitting being loose or a twisted seatbelt. Having a correctly fitted car seat is a simple measure parents, grandparents and guardians can take to ensure children are safe while travelling by car.

“I would encourage people to visit the Check it Fits service when it comes to Limerick and give yourself the peace of mind that your children are travelling safely.”

The service takes between 10-15 minutes and runs from 10.00am – 5.30pm, it is free of charge and offers parents and guardians reassurance that their child is safe while travelling in the car. It is a walk-in service, no appointment needed.

It is important to use your child car seat correctly every single time during a car journey so parents should regularly check the fitting of your child car seat or get it rechecked at a Check it Fits service. For example, if you got your child car seat fitted in winter now coming into the summer months you may need to tighten the harness as your children are wearing lighter clothes.

If your child’s car seat or restraint is incorrectly fitted, the Check it Fits experts will advise on how to fix the problem, demonstrate how to fit the restraint correctly and answer any queries participants might have to avoid potential serious or fatal injury in the event of a collision.

For more information on Check it Fits visit www.rsa.ie/checkitfits .