Many parents unaware that their child’s car seat is incorrectly installed
New research into parents’ knowledge of car seat safety shows that 78% believe their seat to be correctly installed, in contrast to figures from the AA stating that only around 50% of car seats are properly installed, revealing that many parents are unaware that their child’s seat could be putting them in danger. The survey also reveals confusion over regulations and installation.
When questioned in a survey commissioned by Car Loan 4U, a third of parents said that it wasn’t easy to install their car seat.
The process can be made easier by getting a professional to check the seat, but the research reveals that only 23% of parents have made use of this service.
The good news is that the number of incorrect installations seems to be falling. In 2012, a team of experts inspecting seats in Bury found that 68% were not fully correctly fitted, but at this year’s inspection the number had fallen to 48%, closer in line with the AA’s figures. This correlates with an Observer investigation from 2011 which also found that around two thirds of seats were badly fitted. Since then initiatives such as the Glasgow Good Egg Car Safety Clinic have helped to spread awareness of the problems (and Scotland had the highest percentage of professionally checked seats).
However, 70% of parents still said that they didn’t think it was easy to find relevant information. The regulations and installation instructions vary according to the child, the type of seat and the car, so when you take all this into consideration it becomes more understandable that parents make mistakes.
Fortunately a new Europe wide regulation called i-Size is being rolled out which will help to make sure that car seats are easier to install and fit all cars.
Other worrying findings from the research include:
44% of parents believe that children have to use a car seat until they’re 9, when in actual fact it’s around 12 years old or 1.35m in height.
43% of respondents confirmed that they sometimes use their car seat in another car. In 2011 the Guardian article indicated that many problems arise when seats are moved between cars.
James Wilkinson, Car Loan 4U Managing Director and father of two, says: “It is worrying that many parents are potentially putting their children at risk because they find the guidelines confusing, or they can’t find the necessary information. It’s good to see though that things seem to be improving each year, and I really hope that the new i-Size regulations make it easier for parents to fit the seat in their car and that the number of correct installations continues to rise.”
The research was commissioned by Car Loan 4U as part of the car seat safety awareness month. Full details can be found at: www.carloan4u.co.uk/guides/are-you-a-car-seat-champion/