30 August 2013

Car seats are the focus of the road safety initiative next week, with good reason. According to the latest child restraint regional statistics, the Eastern Bay of Plenty region has a poor record in this area.

The 2012 Ministry of Transport national survey of child restraint use in New Zealand for children under five shows that 83 percent of the 131 kids checked across the Whakatāne, Kawerau and Western Bay of Plenty region are being correctly restrained. This was down seven percent on the previous year and makes the Eastern Bay the second worst region in New Zealand, similar to the Far North and behind only Gisborne.

It seems the message isn’t getting through to Eastern Bay communities, and we want to change that. With that in mind, we’re running a Restraints Week from  9-13 September in liaison with Plunket, to increase the community’s awareness of how important car seats are. They can and do save lives.

No one knows this better than I do. Earlier this year I was involved in a head-on smash. My two young children were in the back seat.  We all escaped serious injury, which was extremely lucky. The car was a write-off and the consequences had my children not been strapped in safely could have been devastating. Correctly restraining children in vehicles is a must for every parent or caregiver.

There has been considerable media coverage around this issue lately, with a new law coming into force later this year. From 1 November, children under seven will be legally required to be restrained in approved car seats or booster seats. So there’s never been a better time to ensure your children are strapped in safely.

If you’re unsure how to use restraints properly, Plunket can help. Encouraging people to use car seats for their children at all times is what Restraints Week is all about. A quick visit to have your car seat correctly fitted could save you and your family from unimaginable grief later. It worked for me.