Families across Orkney are being encouraged to take advantage of a free car seat safety clinic later this month, with experts on hand to check whether child car seats are fitted correctly and safely.

The Good Egg Car Safety clinic will take place in the Tesco car park in Kirkwall on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 July between 10am and 3pm, with support from the Orkney Road Safety Forum.

Anyone transporting young children, including parents, grandparents, childminders and friends, is invited to drop in for a free inspection by a trained Good Egg Safety expert.

The checks take around ten minutes and are designed to ensure that both the car seat and the way it is fitted are suitable for the child and the vehicle.

Murray Stewart, Road Safety Officer at Orkney Islands Council, said:

“Having a correctly fitted car seat matched to both your child and your vehicle can significantly reduce the risk of serious injury if you’re ever in an accident.

“At a 2022 Good Egg clinic in Orkney, 74% of car seats checked turned out to be fitted incorrectly. Some issues were minor and quick to fix, like harness or headrest height, or too much slack in the straps.

“But more than a third had major or problems with incompatibility.

“Emergency service staff will tell you the same thing: a properly fitted car seat can make a real difference in reducing the risk of serious injury in a crash.

“These checks are carried out by a specially trained Good Egg Safety expert, so there’s no need to worry about getting into trouble or having your seat taken away.

“It’s simply a chance to get reassurance that your car seat suits your vehicle, along with practical tips on adjustments that could improve how it performs.

“We’d encourage anyone who transports children, parents, grandparents, childminders, or friends, to drop by the clinic.

“It only takes about ten minutes, and it’s well worth it.”

The previous Good Egg clinic held in Orkney highlighted how valuable the checks can be, with almost three quarters of the car seats inspected found to have been fitted incorrectly, ranging from simple adjustments to more significant compatibility issues.

Organisers hope this month’s event will give families reassurance that children are travelling as safely as possible, while offering practical advice that could make a real difference should the worst happen.

The free drop in clinics will be held at the Tesco car park in Kirkwall from 10am until 3pm on Wednesday 22 July and Thursday 23 July.