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Child Car Seat Safety Checks

Is your child’s car seat safe?

child being restrained by a child car seat in a collision

Come and get it checked free between 10am and 4.30pm on:

  • Tuesday 14 July 2009 at Morrisons Car Park, Anchor Road, Aldridge
  • Wednesday 15 July 2009 at Asda Car Park, St Lawrence Way, Darlaston
  • Monday 20 July 2009 at Tesco Car Park, Silver Street, Brownhills
  • Tuesday 21 July 2009 at Sainsburys Car Park, Reedswood Way, Walsall

Trading Standards, in partnership with the Road Safety Unit, are offering free child car seat checks. People can get their child car seat checked by an expert to ensure that they are fitted correctly and their child is safe when travelling in the vehicle.  You can book book an appointment with us, or just turn up at the above locations between 10am and 4.30pm.

Installation tips

If you cannot make these dates don’t worry, here are some installation tips:

  • Before you buy the seat make sure that it fits in your car correctly. Ensure that you keep the manufacturers instructions making sure that you understand how the seat should be fitted.
  • Make sure that you check the seat regularly. If you have been involved in an accident the seat may have been damaged in some way and may need replacing.
  • Ensure that your baby is comfortable, making sure that the seatbelt and harness straps are correctly adjusted.
  • If your child is between birth - 9kg then they should be in a rear facing child seat. Once they are over 9kg (9 months) they may be put in a front facing seat. However, rear facing seats provide greater protection for the baby’s head, neck and spine than a forward facing seat. So it is best to keep your baby in a rear facing seat for as long as possible. Only move them to a forward facing seat once they have exceeded the maximum weight of the seat, or the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.
  • If you are using a rear facing seat then it should always be fitted with a diagonal seatbelt. A forward facing seat can use a lap and diagonal or just lap or separate fitting.
  • You should not seat a child in the front passenger seat if there is a passenger airbag fitted, unless you can turn the air bag off.
  • Any seats that are manufactured to the latest standard will be marked with ECE R44 03. When purchasing a seat look out for the label.

Results from last years exercise

In 2008 Trading Standards checked 216 car seats, 200 of which were newly purchased and the remainder were secondhand.

Only 69 (32.5%) of the seats examined were fitted correctly. However, even where the restraint was fitted correctly the child harness regurly needed adjusting. The most common problems found with the harness were it being too low through the seat back, incorrectly routed, twisted or too loose.

81 (38%) of the child restraints assessed needed some minor adjustment to their fitting, for example the restraint was too loose resulting in excess movement, the diagonal belt guide (on booster seats) was not set correctly or the seat belt was routed incorrectly.

54 (25.5%) of child restraints checked required major adjustment to make them safe and secure. The most common major adjustments needed include the re-routing of the securing car seat belt, re-routing the belt through the seat correctly and using the correct locking clamps on the car seat.  

2 child restraints assessed were found to be incompatible. One because the child was too small for they type of seat and the other because of the bad anchorage points in the vehicle.

6 of the child restraints checked were condemned because the seats were unable to provide adequate protectiond for their occupants. The main problems found were missing belt securing clamps, a missing head restraint and an old seat which was not compliant with the safety requirements.

West Midlands accident statistics

In 2006, 473 child car passengers were hurt on West Midlands Roads, 49 of those travelling within Walsall. Children who are suitably restrained in a car are less likely to be killed or seriously injured if the vehicle they are travelling in is involved in an accident. Research has shown that many parents are not confident about the fitting of child seats and that many don't realise the seat is not fitted properly until they are involved in an accident and their child gets injured. In September 2006 a change in the law introduced a legal requirement to use a suitable restraint for all children under 135cm in high when travelling in a car.

For further information about car seat safety please visit www.childcarseats.org.uk and www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk

If you would like any further information or would like to book a place for the above check then please contact us.

Contact us

Walsall Trading Standards
Challenge Building
Hatherton Road
Walsall
WS1 1YG

Telephone 01922 652246
Fax 01922 630697
Email trading_standards@walsall.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 29 June 2009