Parents across the shire are being urged to do all they can to prevent this from happening, particularly when it comes to a child being properly restrained while in a vehicle. 

Leeton Shire Council will be holding a free child restraint checking morning on Saturday to assist parents in ensuring they are following all of the correct laws and regulations. 

Road safety and traffic officer Steph Puntoriero said parents often thought their child was correctly restrained, but in many instances this wasn’t the case. 

 “While we have seen some significant increase in the number of well fitted restraints, there still appears to be a need for education in our community about the safe installation and use of child car seats, particularly for grandparents,” she said. 

“This is a grave concern as unless a restraint is correctly fitted it will not protect a child in the event of a crash, or even if the driver has to brake suddenly to avoid a collision.

“Parents and carers appear to get the message that they need a restraint but many do not have it correctly fitted. It is often the case that a simple $5 plastic clip can improve the safety of a child passenger.”

The checking morning will be held at the Leeton Market Plaza on Saturday from 9am to noon and will be conducted by a qualified Roads and Maritime Services approved fitter from Lanhams of Leeton.