Upper Hutt City Council wants to improve child safety with a free car seat check

Anecdotal findings suggest that up to 80% of child car seats are not installed correctly and safely.

UPPER HUTT, Wellington NZ, 27 APR 2018—Most children are in an approved car seat when travelling in a vehicle but road safety practitioners at checking clinics and road-side stops around New Zealand are finding that many of these car seats are not installed correctly or are inappropriate for the child.

Upper Hutt City Council is working to help families and whānau ensure their precious cargo is travelling safely by providing a free car seat check. Qualified restraint technicians from the national charity Cheeks in Seats will check car seats are suitable and installed correctly. The technicians will make any necessary adjustments and Belt Up Automotive will be on site to install any required anchor points.

Inspector Jan Craig, Wellington District Road Policing Manager, says to keep children safe in the car it’s important to have child restraints fitted properly and used correctly. “This is a safety activity—we want to support people to be sure they are keeping their wee ones safe while they’re in the car. It would be heart breaking to have a restraint and not have it doing its job in a crash.”

“Our priority is keeping people safe on our roads, and wearing seatbelts or correctly fitted child restraints is a vital part of that.”

This event is being held in line with the Safer Journeys New Zealand Road Safety Strategy 2010–2020. A goal of the strategy is to achieve a 90% success rate in the correct use and fitting of child restraints.

Seat belts and the seats in cars are designed to fit adults and children are usually too small for the seatbelt to cross their shoulders and hips in the correct place. These factors mean that a seatbelt crosses the child’s neck and abdomen resulting in greater injury risk in a crash. Children’s small size and tendency to slouch means they are more likely to slide under or be thrown out of the seatbelt. An appropriate child restraint reduces the risk of serious and life-threatening injuries to a child in the event of a crash. —Safer Journeys New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy 2010–2020

Child restraints only work properly when they are the right size for both the child and the vehicle, and when the child is correctly positioned and strapped in.

This car seat check will be held in the Upper Hutt City Council carpark behind the Civic Centre on Saturday 5 May, from 1.30 – 4.00 pm.

An earlier check will also be held at the Royal NZ Police College in Porirua, from 9.00 am – 12.00 pm.

Supporting road safety and safety in vehicles is in line with Council’s strategic priority of promoting and investing in a strong and safe community. The car set checks are also supported by NZ Police, Belt Up Automotive, and Porirua Automotive.

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