MEDIA RELEASE Cheeks in Seats

29 October 2018

Parents, grandparents and caregivers are being encouraged to take advantage of free non-judgmental car seat checks by expert Child Restraint Technicians in Whangarei on Saturday 3 November.

The event at Bunnings Warehouse [124 Tauroa St] in Whangarei from 10am to 3pm, will see expert Child Restraint Technicians offer free safety checks of your car seats. There will also be mechanics from Kelly’s Automotive and Imperial Motors on hand to install free anchor bolts for tether straps for seats that require these, and the Salvation Army will also be attendance with their Kai Trailer.

Rachael Hannah, one of the Directors of Cheeks in Seats, a national charity who are organising the event, says “As a parent it can be daunting to try and install a car seat correctly, and it’s not always easy to get it right first time. These free car seat checking events offer parents and caregivers the chance to get their seat checked by qualified Child Restraint Technicians free of charge. Our team can ensure seats are installed safely and give advice on how to improve things if they aren’t quite right, without fear of judgment or getting a fine.”

Cheeks in Seats Director Bruce Wilson says “In our experience approximately 80% of child restraints checked at road side checkpoints turn out to be installed incorrectly. Our own statistics from similar events held in Auckland last November and in Wellington in May this year were even higher, with 94% of the seats checked in Auckland and 91% of seats checked in Wellington found to be incorrectly installed.”

Bruce adds “Even if you think your seats are installed correctly, we would encourage you to come along and check them for your peace of mind. It only takes a few minutes and costs nothing. If your seats are installed correctly that’s great, but if they need a few minor adjustments to make them safer our team will be on hand to help you out. It’s important to be aware that even seats that have been professionally installed need adjusting as your child grows. And if you’ve already done a pretty good job on your install, minor adjustments to the way the seat is installed can still improve the safety of the seat and the way it will perform in an accident. We only get one chance – so this is one way of ensuring things are correct.”

Families who are interested in having their car seats checked can just show up on the day, no bookings are required. If possible please bring the child who uses the seat with you so the team can check the settings of the seat are appropriate for the age of the child.

ENDS

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