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The Accident Compensation Corporation has endorsed a call for booster seats to be used for children up to 12 years of age.
A study by doctors from the Starship hospital released this week found children as old as 12 should be strapped into booster seats whenever they ride in cars.
ACC says it has carried out a lot of work to ensure children under 5 are correctly restrained when in a vehicle.
"As a result we've seen a significant decrease in injuries and fatalities from this group," said the national manager for public safety programmes, Jennifer Brown.
"While this is an excellent development, there is still a lot that needs to be done to keep our children aged over 5 safe when in a vehicle."
As part of its Safe2Go programme ACC runs free checkpoints and checking clinics, Ms Brown said.
The technicians at the checkpoints recommend when a child needs a booster seat and noted many children stopped using booster seats too early, she said. This was particularly the case when the booster seat had been passed on to a younger sibling.
Correctly used child restraints could reduce fatality risk by about 71 per cent and serious injury by 67 per cent.
- NZPA
