ACC concerned about unrestrained children in cars

Following a horrific Easter Weekend on the roads ACC has announced that more care needs to be taken when restraining children in vehicles.

This Easter Police drew attention to the fact that numerous vehicles were stopped where children were either incorrectly restrained, or not restrained at all.

“If you don’t buckle your child in properly they can become a torpedo if your car crashes, flying through the window and being seriously injured” says ACC Injury Prevention Programme Manager Anna Long.

“The law says that children need to travel in car seats, or child restraints, up until the age of five years old,” says Ms Long, “but the truth of the matter is some children, particularly those that are smaller in stature, should be in restraints until they’re much older.”

ACC works closely with the Child Safety Foundation of New Zealand to teach drivers to buckle their children in properly, ensuring that the restraints are fitted and installed correctly. The agencies run checkpoints with Police to give face to face advice to drivers with small children. The programme is called Safe-2-Go.

Berenice Langson, the National Safe-2-Go Coordinator, says that each year, on average 16 New Zealand children are killed in motor vehicle crashes and at least 75 children aged 14 years or younger are injured severely enough to be hospitalised.

A recent study suggests as many as 65% of children are not correctly restrained, and therefore are at risk of serious injury in the event of a crash.

“As our passengers, children are completely dependent on the adult driver. We need to prove that we value our children enough to take their safety seriously,” says Ms Langson.

For more information about Safe2Go go to www.safe2go.co.nz