RSA child car seat checking service ‘Check it Fits’ available online!

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has announced today Thursday 25 February 2021 that its child car seat checking service – ‘Check It Fits’ is now available online. The FREE online service is delivered by RSA child car seat experts and provides advice and support to parents, grandparents, guardians, and childminders on how to ensure that child car seats are fitted correctly.

The ‘Check it Fits’ service moved online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic which shut down the service last year. It normally travels around the country providing free safety checks on child car seats. Now people can avail of the service, and have their child seats checked, from the comfort and safety of their home. To book a virtual appointment with one of the RSA’s child car seat experts visit: www.rsa.ie/checkitfits. Since the new online service was piloted in October, hundreds of checks have been successfully completed virtually.

Commenting on the launch of the new virtual ‘Check It Fits’ service Sam Waide, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority said, “We are delighted to get our ‘Check it Fits’ service back up and running. It’s such an important service and we know that parents, especially new parents, are still looking for advice and guidance on the fitment of child car seats. So, while we can’t physically demonstrate the correct way to fit your child’s car seat, we can now do it remotely. The feedback to date on the new online service has been extremely positive with everyone surveyed saying that they were satisfied with their virtual appointment and that they would recommend the virtual service to a friend or family member.

Mr. Waide added that “the new virtual service is quick, easy, and free and it will put your mind at ease that your child or children are travelling safely in the car. Simply book an appointment on rsa.ie at a time and on a day that suits you. All you need is a phone or tablet, and our experts can help you ensure your child’s car seat is correctly fitted.”

Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, An Garda Síochána also welcomed the launch of the RSA’s online ‘Check it Fits’ service “I would encourage parents, guardians and grandparents to use the service so they can be sure their young passengers are safely restrained on each and every trip. Drivers are responsible for passengers under the age of 17 years and should ensure that they are properly restrained in a vehicle. If you have any concerns about selecting or fitting the appropriate restraint for young passengers, advice is available from the RSA. Over the last two years 2,811 penalty points notices were issued to drivers for failing to adequately restrain a minor in a vehicle.”

The online booking system for the ‘Check It Fits’ service allows members of the public to book an appointment at a date and time that suits them. During the appointment, the RSA child car seat expert will talk through the steps to check and adjust the child car seat, demonstrate aspects of the check on screen, and answer any questions. The checker reviews the installation of the child car seat in the car, so the device you use to carry out the appointment must be portable, for example a smart phone or tablet, that has a camera and internet access. Appointments take approximately 30 minutes and are carried out using the Microsoft Teams app, available for download for free from app stores.

Since Check it Fits launched in October 2013, more than 33,000 people have availed of the service from the RSA, with a milestone of 50,000 car seats checks completed last month.

RSA research from checking child car seats indicates that as many as four out of every five child car seats are either incompatible with the child’s height / weight / size or incorrectly fitted. If a child’s car seat is not fitted correctly, it could offer little protection in the event of a crash.

For further information or to book a virtual appointment with the RSA Check it Fits service visit: www.rsa.ie/checkitfits.