Car Safety
Car Safety
- always buckle your child into the car seat, no matter how short the journey.
- they must not travel in the car if you can’t put them in an approved restraint.
- the safest place for your child to travel is in the back seat.
- make sure the seat is firmly held in place by the seat belt.
- make sure the harness fitting is secured correctly each time it’s used – this will change if your child is wearing thicker or thinner clothing.
- never leave your child unattended in a car. A child left in a car on a warm summer day can rapidly develop heatstroke and could die.
- never leave matches or anything dangerous in the glove box.
- second-hand car seats need checking to ensure they are not damaged.
- seek professional advice regarding upgrading the car seat as your child grows.
Read more on carseat safety here.
Never place a rear-facing seat in the front with an airbag. Serious injury or death may occur in an accident.
It is recommended that children should be taken out of their car seat at the end of a journey even if it means waking them up. Cat seats are important in cars but shouldn’t be used as household beds.
Signs of a Risky Driveway
Safekids Aotearoa and Bountiful reminds parents of toddlers and young children to be extra vigilant around driveways. While driveway runovers happen more frequently during spring and summer, it can also easily happen during autumn and winter when it gets dark earlier. Remember CHECK, SUPERVISE & SEPARATE: to CHECK where children are before moving the car; Actively SUPERVISE toddlers and small children; and have a SEPARATE play area, away from driveways.