KEEP KIDS SAFE IN CARSWhakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in!

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 4

New Zealand Police is committed to keeping all children

safe in and around cars. We are proud to be able to

support Plunket in working to protect and nurture all

children, all of the time.

Our record of improving road safety is one of which we

are justifiably proud but there is always more we can do.

We want to extend our efforts to rigorously improve child

safety in all areas but in particular, to reduce the risks to

children in and around vehicles at all times.

This booklet provides important support, information

and recommendations. It will help parents and caregivers

understand their responsibilities and provides practical

help and advice in ensuring all New Zealand children

are safe in cars. Please take the time to read it.

Car seats save lives!

Superintendent Paula Rose

National Manager

Road Policing New Zealand Police

2011

FACT. In a crash or sudden stop a child restraint

that is correctly used will give the best possible

protection to a child.

FACT. Holding a baby or child in your arms will

not protect them in a sudden stop or crash.

FACT. Most crashes happen close to home, yet

it is on these trips that many children aren’t

buckled into restraints.

This booklet gives you information to help

make the right choices to best protect your

children in vehicles.

Car seats save lives!

Care for our children,

they are precious.

Tiakina a tatou tamariki,

mokopuna.

Each year in New Zealand manychildren die or are seriously injured in car crashes when not buckled up in a child restraint.

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 1

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 2

The restraints shown above are some of the

types available.

Look for a restraint that suits your child’s

age, weight and height. Check in the instruction

manual or on labels on the seat.

Make sure the restraint fits in your vehicle.

The shape of the restraint and the shape of your

vehicle seat may mean some restraints will fit

better than others.

Then before you buy or hire the restraint

try your child in it. Make sure you are happy

with the features.

Which restraint for my child?

Choosing the right restraint can be confusing. Restraints vary so you need to decide which one is going to be best for your child.

Infant capsule Convertible seat (Rear-facing and forward-facing)

You need a restraint that you are confident you

can install and use correctly for every trip. Try the

restraint in your vehicle. The back seat is safest.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

and check:

3the vehicle safety belt is long enough to

install the restraint;

3the restraint when installed sits firmly on

the vehicle seat.

Ask for advice from a child restraint

technician at Plunket, your rental

scheme or your retailer.

3

Forward-facing/booster seat Booster seat (without back) Booster seat (with back)

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 4

PregnancyAn unborn baby needs protection too. Wearing

a safety belt protects both you and your baby.

A Wear the lap part of the safety belt over

your thighs and below your baby.

Wear the sash part of the safety belt over

your shoulder, between your breasts and

above your baby.

Infant capsuleIf you choose to hire a restraint, Plunket,

community groups, and some retailers

have restraints available.

It is strongly recommended that baby stay

rear-facing until two years old or until they

outgrow their rear-facing restraint. Rear-facing

provides best protection in a crash.

Car restraints for babies

To keep baby safe from their first car ride, hire or buy a car seat before baby is born.

A

Before you buy or hire the restraint ask

about the features of the different restraints.

Try several models in your vehicle, some

restraints will fit better than others. Read the

manufacturer’s instructions and install the

restraint correctly to make sure you get a tight fit.

Installing an infant capsule you must always

follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

B WHERE? Back seat is safest. Never put a

rear-facing car seat in the front if there is an

airbag in the dash, baby is at risk of serious

injury if the airbag inflates. Even if there is no

airbag in the front baby is safer in the back.

HOW? The restraint for your baby always

faces to the back of the vehicle. This means

baby is looking towards the back window.

Make sure you have buckled the vehicle

safety belt tightly. Your restraint may come

with a locking clip 1 also LATCH or ISOFIX is an

alternative installation found on some restraints 2.

C If the restraint has a tether strap for use when

rear-facing tighten this once the vehicle safety

belt is buckled 1.

D Place baby in the restraint with the

harness over baby’s shoulders, buckle the

harness making sure it is ‘clicked’ tight.

The harness should be comfortable but firm

against baby. You should only be able to fit one

finger between baby and the harness. Place a

blanket over baby once the harness is on and

the buckle done up.

Your baby will have outgrown their infant capsule

when they are over the maximum weight

recommended and/or their head is almost at the

top. Baby’s feet over the end isn’t a reason to

move baby out of the seat.

5

DB C

1 See page 10 for more details. 2 See page 11 for more details.

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 6

Ideally you will have used a restraint that allows

for rear-facing until your baby is two years old.

Before you buy or hire the restraint ask

about the features of the different restraints. Try

several models in your vehicle. Some restraints

will fit better in your vehicle than others. Read

the instructions and install the seat correctly to

make sure you get a tight fit.

Ask for advice from a child restraint

technician at Plunket, your rental

scheme or your retailer.

Installing the restraint you must follow the

manufacturer’s instructions.

WHERE? Back seat is safest. If there is an airbag

in the dash place the car seat in the back. Even

if there is no airbag in the front your child is safer

in the back.

HOW? Place the restraint on the vehicle seat.

Once baby is around two years old or has outgrown their infant capsule it is time to move to a forward-facing restraint.

Restraints for young children

A

Put the vehicle safety belt through the restraint.

A Placing your weight in the seat will help get

a tight fit. B Buckle the vehicle safety belt tightly. Your

child restraint may have come with a

locking clip 1.

If the restraint has a tether strap tighten this once

the vehicle safety belt is buckled 1.

LATCH or ISOFIX is an alternative installation

found on some restraints 2.

C HOW? Place your child in the restraint with

the shoulder harness coming through level

with or slightly above the child’s shoulders.

Buckle the harness making sure it is

‘clicked’ tight.

Tighten the harness so it is comfortable but

firm against your child. You should only be able

to fit one finger between your child and

the harness.

To keep your child safe, use this restraint until

your child outgrows it.

Your child has outgrown their restraint

when any one of the following occurs:

• theyareoverthemaximumweight

recommended;

• theireyelevelishigherthanthebackof

the restraint;

• theshoulderharnessisinthetopslotsand

having to come up and over the shoulders

more than 25mm.

7

CB

1 See page 10 for more details. 2 See page 11 for more details.

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 8

Booster SeatsBooster seats can be full booster seats with a

back, or a half booster seat with no back. Some

forward-facing child restraints also convert to a

booster seat by removing the harness system in

the restraint.

A booster seat lifts a child up so the vehicle

safety belt is positioned correctly against them.

A Always use a booster seat with a lap/sash

safety belt, never with a lap belt on its own,

as there is nothing holding the child’s upper

body back in a sudden stop or crash.

The diagonal portion of the safety belt goes

over the shoulder, not against the neck. The lap

portion of the safety belt sits low touching the

thighs. The booster seat should allow the safety

belt to sit snugly against your child.

Use a booster seat once your child has outgrown their child restraint.

Car safety for older children

A

B The back seat of the vehicle is the safest

place for a booster seat

How long should my child stay in a

booster seat? Until their eye level is above

the back of the booster seat, vehicle seat or

headrest or…

They are tall enough to sit on the

vehicle seat correctly:

3right back without slouching;

3with the lap belt remaining low touching

the top of the thighs;

3sash belt across the shoulder, not the neck;

3they can stay seated correctly positioned

for the whole trip.

Many children will be around 148cm tall before

they can move from their booster seat.

The Child Safety Harness

A child safety harness is a restraint that can

be useful to restrain a child safely. It anchors

into the vehicle like the tether on a child

restraint and uses the vehicle safety belt.

C A child safety harness can be used in

combination with a booster seat or on

its own with the child sitting on the

vehicle seat.

9

B C

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 10

A If a restraint has a tether strap always follow

the manufacturer’s instructions.

What does a tether strap do? A tether strap

prevents forward and some sideways movement

of the restraint in a sudden stop or crash. The

less movement of the restraint the less

movement of the baby or child.

B Has my vehicle got tether anchor points?

Check the vehicle manual, it will show where

anchor points are located. Some vehicles have

anchors already fitted. A garage or vehicle

dealership can help you.

Installing tether anchors Follow instructions in the vehicle manual and

follow the restraint manual instructions. Ask

a garage or vehicle dealership for help with

installation if you are at all unsure.

Tether straps and locking clips

Tether straps connect the restraint to an anchor in the vehicle. The locking clip is a bracket that holds the vehicle safety belt tightly.

A B

C

C Using a tether strap. Once the safety belt

is through the restraint attach the tether

strap to the anchor.

Tighten the tether (firmly but not too tight) once

the vehicle safety belt is tightened through the

restraint. Tether extensions and extra tether

anchors can be purchased from retailers and

some car seat hire outlets.

What is a locking clip? A locking clip (H-clip)

is a metal or plastic bracket that holds the vehicle

safety belt tightly through the restraint and helps

prevent it moving around. Locking clips are

supplied with some restraints.

Do I need to use a locking clip? Read the

restraint manual to see the type of safety belt

systems it suggests using a locking clip with.

Read the vehicle manual to check the type of

safety belt system your vehicle has. Some vehicle

safety belt systems hold the restraint firmly without

a locking clip.

Positioning a locking clip. The restraint manual

will demonstrate the position for the locking clip.

D Close to the safety belt latch plate is the

usual position for the locking clip.

LATCH or ISOFIXE LATCH or ISOFIX is an alternative installation

found on some restraints.

LATCH or ISOFIX points are required on both the

vehicle and the child restraint. Check both your

vehicle manual and restraint manual to see if

you can install this way. A restraint that has LATCH

or ISOFIX can still be installed in the conventional

way using the vehicle safety belt.

11

D E

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 12

Second-hand restraintsOld seats may not provide the best protection

for your child in a crash or sudden stop. It is

strongly recommended that if possible you

avoid purchasing a second-hand restraint.

Before purchasing a second-hand

restraint ask if the seat has ever been in a

crash, even a minor one. If so, don’t buy it.

Check:

3the seat isn’t too old – between 6 to 10

years is the maximum life for most seats;

3the seat has an instruction manual;

3the harness has no fraying, fading, or

appears stretched;

3the plastic shell has no cracks;

3the buckle and harness adjustor work well.

Ask for advice from a child restraint

technician at Plunket, your rental

scheme or your retailer.

If purchasing a second-hand car restraint there are important questions that you need to ask.

New Zealand law requires that all children under 5 years of age are properly restrained in an approved child restraint appropriate for their age and weight.

Children over 5 but under 8 years of age must be in an approved child restraint if there is one available. If no restraint is available they must use the adult safety belt.

Children over 8 but under 15 years of age must use a safety belt if one is available, otherwise travel in the rear seat.

Exempt from this legislation are:

• vintage cars (pre 1955) with no safety belts; • PassengerServiceVehiclesincludingtaxisandshuttles;• truckswithunloadedweightexceeding2000kg.

Penalty for non-compliance with the law is a $150 fine for each unrestrained child in a vehicle.

Driver responsibility. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure each child under 15 years of age is correctly restrained.

Child restraint standards. All child restraints sold in New Zealand must meet an approved standard.

Approved standards are:

• Australia/NZ Standard AS/NZS 1754, shown with 5 ticks; • EuropeanStandard(ECE44)withan‘E’ mark; • UnitedStatesStandardFMVSS213whichmustalso carry the ‘S’ mark to show it has been certified for use in NZ;• technicalstandardforchildrestraints(Japan).This appliestoin-builtchildrestraintsinJapanesevehicles.

The law in New Zealand

Whakamaua te whiitiki – Buckle them in! 14

Plunket

Look under ‘Plunket’ in the phone book for a rental scheme near you or checkthe website www.plunket.org.nz or email child restraint queries to comms@plunket.org.nz

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA)For general child restraint information go to

www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/students-parents

/child-restraints.html or

email accessrestraints@nzta.govt.nz or

Phone 0800 822 422

Ministry of TransportFor child restraint statistics go to

www.transport.govt.nz

Safekids NZ For information about child restraints go to

www.safekids.org.nz

Where to go for help