SOMETIMES the last thing you feel like doing after a hard day is battling with your overtired offspring to ensure the straps, levers and clunk-clicks of a car seat are correctly in place.

But it's these basic mistakes by parents that can kill and injure children, even in low speed crashes, according to new research from the AA Motoring Trust.

Tests carried out at just 19mph with seats that had been fitted incorrectly produced results which would have seriously injured any child sitting in them.

Every year, more than 100,000 children are involved in crashes but while most receive little more than a jolt or a shock, 10,000 are hurt, with 670 seriously injured and 30 killed.

In some cases, the child had been completely unrestrained, but in others, the child was sitting in a poorly-fitted seat.

AA Motoring Trust road safety head Andrew Howard said fitting a child seat incorrectly was a serious issue and one parents or childminders must not ignore.

"We estimate around two thirds of all child seats are incorrectly fitted and a third could cause serious injury to the child," he said.

"Sometimes parents make mistakes fitting seats, sometimes they take short cuts or make compromises in how they are worn in an effort to keep children quiet.

"Using a child seat is not always straightforward and parents need to invest time in checking the seat is fitted properly before setting out on every journey."

Mr Howard said using any child restraint was better than none, but parents and childminders need to be aware that every child seat is different.

"It is vital they understand how it is fitted in their car before they travel with their children."

Give your mouse a make-over

WHEN it comes to hard-done-by computer hardware, you don't usually hear a peep from your dirt-smudged rotating rodent.

While everything else gets a frequent overhaul, your average mouse seems content to stay put. Not any longer.

Whether yours is too big, too small, comes with miles of wire or you simply don't like the colour, there are plenty to scroll through, including:

The Targus Retractable £13.89

Has a retractable cable so you can easily let out as much as you need, with a simple click action to wind the cable back in.

Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse £26.99

Add a bit of fun to your desktop with this stylish mouse from Microsoft. Uses optical technology instead of the out-dated trackball system for extra precision while you work. Also works on wireless signals so you can do away with cable clutter.

Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer £34.99

Perfect for anyone who spends time searching the Internet. Features include five programmable buttons to help you navigate the net with the greatest of ease.

Logitech MX700 £44.99

Designed to fit comfortably in the hand so those who spend hours on the PC can do so in comfort. Fitted with wireless technology, it also comes with a base station for easy charging.

Logitech cordless optical mouse for notebooks £31.79

Quite a mouthful, but a nice change from numbers and abbreviations. This cordless unit which has been designed specifically for portability and comes with carry case.

Logitech MX900 £89.99

One of the latest mice to hit the shelves, it uses Bluetooth technology to do away with desktop cable clutter. The base station acts as a re-charging unit but can also act as a Bluetooth hub for your PC and "talk" to your other compatible devices.

All products are available from www.amazon.co.uk