Police check car restraints

Counties Manukau police will be out in force checking child restraints next week.

Senior sergeant Mike Stopforth says young children need to be placed in a safety approved restraint when travelling.

"This is to ensure that they are kept safe in case of a crash or a sudden stop. Around the end of school each day thousands of parents uplift their young ones and transport them home or to after-school activities," he says.

"It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure their passengers are properly restrained."

Every year police attend crashes where wearing a seatbelt would have saved the occupants from serious injury or death, he says.

Safekids New Zealand recommends children use a booster seat until they are 148cm tall.

Studies show this is the height they need to be to properly fit an adult restraint.

Mr Stopforth says children under five are required to sit in a booster seat by law, but height is a better indicator than age.

- © Fairfax NZ News