Brand new car seats have been donated to young children, toddlers and babies at a police checkpoint in Avondale, Auckland this week.
The checkpoint was set up to assess how well children and babies were strapped in. Eighteen suitable car seats were provided and installed on the spot free of charge for youngsters who had outgrown their car seats or needed replacements. Plunket team members also educated parents about whether their car seat was installed correctly or fit their child properly.
The car seat initiative is thanks to funding from The Trusts in partnership with Plunket.
Senior Sergeant Tony Ngau Chun, who looks after the road policing teams in Auckland City District, says having child restraints and the safety of children on the roads should not be a privilege but should be available to all children. “The car seat initiative for us is a perfect way to involve the community, use the expertise of Plunket, Auckland Transport and the police, using community funds to see the benefit of road safety for our community.”
“Children’s safety on the roads can’t be understated,” he says. “The community gets the service that we would love to see them have. I absolutely acknowledge what The Trusts have done to make this a possibility.” It can be financially tough for some families to afford car seats, he says. “We’ve had instances where some children have outgrown them or the car seats are not up to safety standards.”
Tony says the checkpoint’s goal was to educate and engage with the community, giving them the resource to provide safety for our tamariki. “The purpose here of the teams is to make sure people on the roads can get about their business safely.”
Kimiyo Yamasaki, Plunket’s Injury Prevention Team Leader- Northern Region, says families were excited to receive their new child restraints and baby carriers. “A lot of parents have car seats but not the appropriate car seats for the child’s height and weight. People do the best they can but the child car seats The Trusts give us can provide people with a more appropriate option."
Kimiyo says Plunket appreciates the support from The Trusts. “A lot of whānau wouldn’t be able to afford them otherwise. They’re struggling because of the cost of car seats and rising living costs.”
Plunket provides car seat advice, education and installation support. You can email injurypreventionnorthern@plunket.org.nz for information. You can also phone Plunket on 09 837 1871 or 027 283 4739.