Parkes Shire Council are ensuring that children are safe and secure when travelling in vehicles with free child restraint checks at local Authorised Child Restraint Fitting Stations Thursday 6 July.
Parkes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, says that the free child restraint checking day is held every year and is important in ensuring the safe travel of young children.
“The correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints is vital. Research shows that two out of three child restraints are not being used properly and this puts children at risk in the event of a crash.
“Last year 80% of the child restraints in-spected were found to be installed incorrectly. Most had minor problems that needed fixing to ensure the safety of the child, such as tightening straps, checking clips and replacing loose bolts.
“It is important to have your child restraint checked regularly after prolonged use and installed correctly before use to ensure that your precious cargo is safe,” Ms Suitor said.
Free child restraint inspections will be pro- vided by RMS Authorised Child Restraint Fitters in Parkes on Thursday 6 July at two different locations. Inspections will be held from 11am – 1pm at Col Fletcher Ford and Kia, and from 2pm – 4pm at Parkes Tyrepower.
Information about the national child restraint laws, the types of restraints and ad- vice on moving children from one restraint type to the next will be available. There will also be a free BBQ and a colouring-in competition for the kids with a prize worth $50.
Whilst this free child restraint checking day is a one-off event, Col Fletcher Ford and Kia as well as Parkes Tyrepower install and check child restraints every day for a small fee.
Bookings are essential, phone Melanie Suitor on 02 6861 2364.