Refusal to belt up shocks police

By NICOLA BOYES

A bloody weekend on New Zealand roads has left police wondering if anyone is heeding seatbelt warnings.

Northland 1-year-old Hokianga Matene and her parents, Henare Matene, 30, and Toni Porter, 31, were killed in a collision north of Kerikeri on Sunday.

Hokianga was sitting unrestrained on her mother's knee.

On Friday night, Kamiwai Wilson, 28, and her brother, Trinity Wilson, 25, were killed in a smash south of Huntly.

Mr Wilson was not wearing a seatbelt.

Latest statistics show 14 per cent of children under 5 are still not restrained in cars.

Transport Safety Authority statistics last December showed Gisborne and Bay of Plenty parents were the worst offenders for not buckling their children in, with just 76 and 78 per cent of parents using seatbelts.

The Auckland and Northland regions were second-worst, with between 82 and 84 per cent of parents putting their children in restraints.

Safe Kids national co-ordinator Joy Gunn said Safe Kids, Plunket, the police, Fire Service and other organisations would run a national campaign next year targeting child restraints.

Mrs Gunn said 14 per cent of children were still not being restrained in car seats, but more concerning were studies showing 75 per cent of parents who did use child restraints used them incorrectly.

A survey of drivers and front-seat passengers carried out this year showed 94 per cent of people wore their seatbelts.

But Hawkes Bay, Taranaki and Manawatu came in at between 91 and 92 per cent.

Third worst was Northland, with 93 per cent of frontseat passengers and drivers buckling up.

Backseat passengers in Gisborne were the worst offenders for not wearing seatbelts, on only 69 per cent. Bay of Plenty, West Coast and Otago backseat passengers came in on 70, 78 and 79 per cent.

The Waikato traffic manager, Inspector Leo Tooman, said seatbelt use in Hamilton was fairly good, with latest surveys showing 96 per cent of people buckling up.

He found it hard to believe that some people still carried young children in cars unrestrained. "There are still some people out there willing to take that risk."

Mr Tooman said the main excuse used by many people pulled over by police for not wearing seatbelts was that they were just going a short way down the road. "They don't see it as being a major and it's not a major until they are involved in a crash."

Police traffic sergeant Mark Toomey said the Huntly crash on Friday night highlighted three strategy areas police had been trying to get through to drivers: speed, alcohol and seatbelts.

It is understood driver Kamiwai Wilson was exceeding the 70km/h speed limit when the crash happened and police are waiting for results of an alcohol test.