Most Kiwi mum and dads put a huge effort into the upbringing of their children, ensuring they are fed, clothed, well-loved and raised in a safe environment.
It is odd that after all that care and effort, so many of us then see fit to inadequately strap our children into automobiles that
can become death traps in an instant, often through no fault of the mum or dad behind the wheel.
Generations of New Zealanders have been lulled into a false sense of complacency about what constitutes safe restraint of children inside vehicles. We have been encouraged in our "she'll be right in an adult safety belt" mentality by lax legislation.
We are not talking about the under-5s, an age group which the law is quite specific about.
But when it comes to the over-5 but under-8-year-olds, the legal "requirement" that they must be in an approved child restraint is made a nonsense of by the fact that if one is not available the law allows for an adult safety belt to be worn.
As Tanya Upritchard from Plunket Hawke's Bay says on page five today, it is "crazy to have that anomaly" in the law.
Plunket Hawke's Bay has taken it upon itself to re-educate parents in our region about adequate child restraint in the belief that we cannot wait for the law to catch up with better international safety standards.
Height, rather than age, is the best guide as to whether a booster seat should be used, says Plunket, and it is hard to argue with that conclusion. Plunket says children up to 148cm - that's most 7, 8 and 9-year-olds - need a booster when using a seat belt.
Adult seat belts do not correctly fit, nor protect, children under 148cm. So while parents might think their children are safe once buckled in with a safety belt only, they are not.
Let's hope Parliament sits up and takes notice some time soon.
