Buckle up with safe car seats

Becky Fuller has her car seats checked by Veronica Fieldsend from Plunket. Photo/Bevan Conley

Not all Whanganui parents are getting the message about safe car seats, according to Horizons Regional Council road safety coordinator Glenda Leitao.

Horizons, Plunket and Whanganui Police carried out two car safety checks in Whanganui on Wednesday - one on Somme Parade, the other on Fitzherbert Ave.

Mrs Leitao said of 202 seat checks, 79 were incorrectly fitted in some way.

She said there was a disturbing number of children who were simply not restrained in the car at all. One of the worst was a woman with a toddler unrestrained in the front seat and a baby in a car seat that was not belted in.

"The worst thing about it was that she was offered a free booster seat by Plunket staff, but she said she didn't need one."

Mrs Leitao said it was illegal to not have a child under the age of seven, or 148cm tall, not in a car seat. Those people whose children were unrestrained were issued with fines.

Those whose car seats had problems were given information packs.

"The best thing you can do is read the instructions on how to use the seat properly. And remember that if a car seat is over 10 years old, it's too old to be used," Mrs Leitao said.

She said the problems with car seats included being the wrong size for child, no restraint at all, fitted incorrectly or a seat that was too old.