Seven out of ten car seats in Cornwall are fitted incorrectly.

The statistic was unearthed when Cornwall Trading Standards and Community Fire and Road Safety officers recently offered free car seat safety checks at events throughout the county.

More than 100 car seats for babies and primary school aged children were checked and in 7 out of 10 cases there was at least one issue.

Jane Tomlinson from Cornwall Council Trading Standards said: ‘Many retailers will check it is suitable for your child’s weight and size and show you how to correctly fit it in your car for the first time.

 ‘Buying a second hand child car seat, including those often sold as part of a travel system, is not recommended as the instructions are often missing. 

‘The law regarding booster seats for children changed on March 1. ‘The new rules don’t affect existing models of seats or cushions and it doesn’t mean that they are illegal so parents who already own and use backless boosters will still be permitted to use them.  ‘However our checks revealed that one in eight parents of under 12s were not using any type of car or booster seat to transport their children which is against the law and could result in a fatality. 

‘Alarmingly, this included a baby in the front seat of a car with no car seat and only secured by an adult seatbelt.’

Parents can speak to the local road safety team on 0300 1234 222 for advice or to arrange a car seat check.