As Child Safety Week shines a spotlight on protecting children from preventable harm, TyreSafe is urging families to think beyond the child car seat and ensure the whole vehicle is safe before every journey.
The road safety charity is highlighting the important connection between correctly fitted child restraints and properly maintained tyres, warning that both play a vital role in keeping children safe on the roads.
While child car seats provide essential protection in the event of a collision, TyreSafe says vehicle safety begins before a crash occurs—with tyres playing a crucial role in braking, grip and vehicle control.
If tyres are worn, damaged or incorrectly inflated, stopping distances can increase significantly and a vehicle’s ability to respond in an emergency can be compromised.
The call comes as the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy places renewed focus on reducing deaths and serious injuries among young people, with ambitions to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65% overall and by 70% for children under 16 by 2035.
TyreSafe believes this reflects the importance of a Safe System approach to road safety, recognising that protecting children depends on multiple layers of safety working together.
Recent child seat safety data highlights why this approach matters.
Across community child seat checking programmes delivered by Good Egg Safety CIC, around two thirds of child restraints inspected are found to be incorrectly fitted or unsuitable, potentially reducing the protection available to children in a collision.
Common issues include:
- Slack seat belts
- Loose seat bases
- Incorrectly adjusted support legs
- Incorrect belt routing
- Carry handles positioned incorrectly
TyreSafe says these findings reinforce an important message for families: child safety starts before the journey begins.
Stuart Lovatt, Chair of TyreSafe, said, “A correctly fitted child seat offers vital protection, but it is only one part of the safety picture. Tyres are the only contact between the vehicle and the road and have a direct impact on braking, grip and control. If tyres are not properly maintained, stopping distances increase and vehicle performance can be affected—particularly in emergency situations or poor weather conditions.”
“Keeping children safe means looking at the whole journey and the whole vehicle. Simple checks can make a significant difference.”
TyreSafe is encouraging parents and carers to make tyre checks part of their regular vehicle safety routine using its ACT message:
A – Air pressure
Check tyres are inflated to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure.
C – Condition
Inspect for cuts, bulges, cracks or embedded objects that could compromise safety.
T – Tread
Ensure tyres meet the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6mm and are free from uneven wear.
Children must use an appropriate child car seat until they are either 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first.
As part of Child Safety Week activity, TyreSafe is supporting a number of local initiatives taking place across the UK that bring together child seat safety and tyre safety advice for families.
One example is a programme of free child car seat checking events taking place across West Yorkshire in partnership with West Yorkshire Vision Zero and Good Egg Safety CIC, where selected sessions will also include free tyre safety checks and practical advice for parents and carers.
Janis James MBE, Chief Executive of Good Egg Safety CIC, said: “Parents and carers go to extraordinary lengths to protect the children they love, yet our national data consistently shows that around two thirds of child car seats are being used incorrectly—often by caring families who simply don’t realise something is wrong. The encouraging news is that many of the issues we identify can usually be corrected quickly with the support of our highly experienced and accredited Safety Advisors, potentially making a life-saving difference in the event of a collision.”
“By working alongside TyreSafe at selected events, we are supporting the wider Safe System approach—helping families stay safer both inside and outside the vehicle.”
TyreSafe is encouraging families to take advantage of local safety initiatives and to remember that protecting children on the road is about more than one safety feature alone.
Because when it comes to child safety, every part of the journey matters.
