CHILD car seat checks will be carried out at Thornbury Fire Station to check that they are correctly fitted.

Officers from South Gloucestershire Council’s road safety team and Avon and Somerset Police will be on hand on Wednesday, September 17 between 8.30am and 4pm.

The free checks are offered to give reassurance to parents that their children are safe and secure when travelling by car.

Young people travelling as passengers will also be measured to ensure they are the correct height to safely use seatbelts. The legal requirement is 135cm unless they are sitting on a booster seat.

Previous safety checks carried out in South Gloucestershire have shown that over half of all child car seats are fitted incorrectly.

Drivers with no seats were given advice and had to have seats brought to the location by a friend or family member or face £100 fine.

Road safety officer Pamela Williams said: “We are not just checking for seats that have not been fitted correctly, but also ensuring that the children using them fit their seats properly.

“Many of the major faults found were due to seats belts requiring re-routing. This means that the seat has been fitted incorrectly and the manufacturer’s instructions have not been followed. Minor faults included internal harnesses that were very loose requiring adjustment.

“In the event of a collision a loose harness could cause a child to be ejected from their child seat, so whilst it is classed as a minor fault this could be fatal in the event of a collision.

“Other minor adjustments include removal of headrests, these sometimes tend to get in the way of car seats being securely fitted into a vehicle, and twists in seatbelts, which can mean they are less effective in a collision.”

South Gloucestershire Police Neighbourhoods Inspector Bob Evely said: “We’re pleased to be supporting this initiative again after its success last year.

“Having the right child car seat, properly fitted, is really important to keep children safe. So far this year we’ve found almost 60 per cent of seats hadn’t been fitted properly, so it’s really worth your time to come along and get yours checked over.

“Neighbourhood teams will be working with the council at these checks as part of our drive to work together to improve safety for all road users.”

Anyone who would like to have their child car seat checked voluntarily are invited to stop by Thornbury Fire Station in Gloucester Road, Thornbury.