ONE in five primary pupils making their way back to school in cars will be put at risk by incorrectly fitted child seats, a survey has found.
Figures released by the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety show that even if parents are using the correct child car and booster seats on the school run, 61 per cent of the equipment is not fitted properly.
Some youngsters are travelling to school without even an adult seatbelt to prevent them from harm.
Children under the age of 11, and 1.35m tall, must use car seats by law.
The partnership is now urging parents to check they are complying with the law and keeping their children safe. A special table has been produced to help counter the most common errors when fitting safety equipment.
Linda Sanderson, of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, said: "Despite a great deal of publicity and direct visits to schools by community beat managers and members of our team, it seems that the use a car seat' message has still not got across to everyone.
"And what is particularly horrifying is the few parents that aren't buckling their children up at all. How would they feel if their child was killed or injured in a car crash?"
During the start of the new term, Community Beat Managers, PCSOs and road policing officers will initially promote the wearing of seatbelts and child restraints by issuing educational leaflets and posters to schools.
Focus will also be on the three main fitting problems - the child seat not resting properly on the car seat, the seat being too loose and the buckle lying across the frame of the child seat, potentially causing it to spring open on impact.
The table, designed to eliminate such errors, can be downloaded from www.safe2travel.co.uk.
Mrs Sanderson added: "There are a number of reasons why child car restraints are not fitted correctly, not least because there are well over 100 different models and not all seats safely fit every type of car and seat belt arrangement. Instructions vary for each model and are often puzzling to follow."
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