Vehicle child restraint use on rise

By SCOTT MacLEOD

The use of child restraints has reached a record high - but nearly one child in five goes without.

And Northland and Manukau have the worst record in the country, with 31 per cent of children being driven unrestrained.

A Land Transport Safety Authority survey found that the use of child seats, booster seats and harnesses by children aged under 5 was 82 per cent last year - up from 79 per cent in 2000 and 74 per cent in 1997.

The survey of 4500 children at 66 sites showed big variations. The highest rates were in Otago (97 per cent), Canterbury (94) and Hawkes Bay (90).

Authority director David Wright said the improvement was good, but it was unacceptable that 18 per cent of under-5s were still poorly restrained.

"There are nearly 300,000 children under 5 in this country and every one of them deserves to be protected in a vehicle," he said.

In the past 10 years, 116 children under 5 have died in road crashes. The authority estimates that 32 of them would have lived if they had been properly restrained.

The law says children under 5 must be restrained in cars and vans. Drivers can be fined $150.