MORE than half of child car seats inspected at events in Keighley were found to be fitted incorrectly.

Safety checks have been carried out in sessions at 25 locations across West Yorkshire.

The initiative was spearheaded by the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Partnership, in collaboration with Good Egg Safety CIC.

In Keighley, checks were conducted in the car park at Morrisons – where 57 per cent of the child car seats inspected were not fitted correctly – and at Asda, where the figure was 54 per cent.

But the town fared better than a number of other locations in the Bradford district and beyond.

At an event at Asda in Rooley Lane, Bradford, 74 per cent of seats checked were wrongly fitted.

And at Tesco in Brighouse, the figure was 77 per cent.

Out of the total 763 seats inspected across West Yorkshire, just 280 were deemed safe.

The checks were carried out by a safety expert, and issues identified ranged from minor – such as a slightly loose base – to more serious, such as incorrect belt routing, and then extreme, with examples including children found to be forward facing too young or being completely unrestrained.

Following the findings of the events, parents and guardians are being encouraged to double check their child car seats.

Alison Lowe, chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Partnership board and deputy mayor for policing and crime, says: "Nothing is more important than the safety of children so we must all ensure they are protected when travelling on our roads.

"The fact that around two thirds of seats are fitted incorrectly is very worrying and I would now hope that everyone with children will book-in sometime to double check.

"West Yorkshire Vision Zero seeks to reduce all road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2040 and the ambitious plan needs us all working together."

Janis James, chief executive of Good Egg Safety, says: "It has been a privilege to collaborate with our valued partners across West Yorkshire to improve child safety in cars.

"Parents and carers are often shocked to discover that their irreplaceable children are travelling unsafely, and they are deeply appreciative of this free service. Through continued partnership, we aim to reduce preventable child occupant casualties."

It is planned to hold more events to check child car seats at venues across West Yorkshire next year, with details to be announced.