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School holidays are looming - and the long summer is often a time when children manage to injure themselves.
More than 2000 ACC claims for injuries to school-aged Whanganui children have been made during school holidays since April 2012.
Up to the end of this year's July holidays, the claims had cost ACC more than $1.7 million.
Parents needed to take extra caution in the upcoming Christmas break, Horizons Regional Council road safety co-ordinator and Safekids coalition member Glenda Leitao said.
"One of the major things Safekids is pushing is be aware of children when backing out of driveways.
"That applies at all times but in school holidays, when you're rushing around and have got other kids home from school, things like counting heads, making sure you know where every child is and making extra checks before backing out are extra important."
Allowing extra time to get places was always a good move, she said. "Simple things like, if you're going to the movies, make sure you've got plenty of time to get there and get a park, so you're not rushing and forgetting to make sure kids are in car seats properly."
Parents should also give some thought to where kids went on bikes and scooters. "[Kids] need to have helmets on and beware of extra traffic around. Parents should know where they're playing; if it's in a safe environment. Consider how old they are and if they should be on the road themselves. Maybe it's something mum, dad and the kids can all do together."
Nationally, more than 200,000 new claims were laid with ACC for school-aged children during school holiday periods between April 2012 and the end of July this year. The claims have so far cost ACC more than $69 million.
About 13,000 claims were made during term breaks, while an average of 28,000 claims were made during summer breaks.
Injuries often occurred in the lead-up to Christmas when parents were stressed and not necessarily watching their children as much as normal, Safekids Aotearoa director Ann Weaver said. Injuries were also sustained at barbecues and other summer get-togethers when no adults in particular were watching children, she said.
"Absolutely let kids run around and have fun, but it's a good idea to have at least one designated adult keeping an eye on what the kids are up to."
Parents needed to think about what else was involved when buying Christmas presents.
Trampolines, for example, needed to meet standards, be placed on soft ground and away from tree branches, and have rules, such as only one child jumping on at a time.
"Trampolines are a big cause of falls for 5 to 14-year-olds.
"Wheel objects such as bikes and scooters are also the cause of a lot of falls. If you're buying a bike, make sure you can also afford a helmet, or get grandma and grandpa or someone else to get the helmet because they considerably reduce the likelihood of serious brain injury when they fall off."
Ms Weaver also warned against buying a bigger bike so it would last longer.
"Bikes need to be age and size appropriate. It's not good to buy a bike that's too big for your child because it will make it harder for them to develop skills in terms of safe riding."