New Zealand child restraint laws are "way behind" other countries and leaving kids vulnerable to injury, according to Plunket. And until the law catches up with latest research, Plunket Hawke's Bay is determined to re-educate parents themselves, to help keep all kids safe in cars.
Tanya Upritchard from Plunket Hawke's Bay said many parents held the misconception that kids no longer needed a car booster seat after their fifth birthday.
But Plunket advocated height, not age, was the best indicator of whether a booster seat was needed.
It recommended kids up to 148cm, that's kids 7, 8 and 9 years old, still needed a booster when using a seat belt.
Mrs Upritchard, Plunket's car seat rental manager, said seat belts were designed for adults and did not correctly fit or protect children under 148cm.
The current law stated children over five but under eight years old must be in an approved child restraint. But then offered the escape clause that if none were available, an adult safety belt must be worn.
Mrs Upritchard said it was "crazy to have that anomaly" in the law, which was why Plunket Hawke's Bay started its own education campaign.
Last year Plunket took the message to parents through local kindergartens. Safekids Coalition had since taken up that role, leaving Plunket Hawke's Bay to focus on primary schools in Napier, Hastings, Waipukurau and Waipawa.
In the last two weeks Plunket Hawke's Bay had distributed 900 information packs and spoken to parents from eight schools about the use of child restraints for children over 5.
Mrs Upritchard said the campaign was about re-educating parents who thought they were doing the right thing by putting their five-year-olds in an adult seat belt.
"Parents want to do the best for their children. They need that information to do so, so it's vital to get [the message] out there. We're talking about childrens' lives, and safety and making good choices when travelling in cars," she said.
Booster seats don't stop at five
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