Attributable to Taupō Road Policing Sergeant Wayne Dickson:
Police have carried out a number of road checkpoints over the last seven weeks near schools and in townships, and central locations with the aim of reducing the number of passengers and drivers travelling without the proper restraints.
94 times Police have located unrestrained or improperly restrained occupants in vehicles over the last seven weeks, many of these being children.
In some cases there are up to five unrestrained children in vehicles, with a number of 5, 6 and 7 year old children sitting in normal seatbelts, rather than having an approved restraint.
Most drivers at fault said that they did have car seats or booster seats, which were either at home or in another vehicle.
Some drivers had a candid attitude about the safety risk and instead thought the Police checkpoints were an inconvenience.
Children are our most precious and most vulnerable, and it is up to the driver to ensure their safety.
Every driver thinks that they are safe drivers and that a crash won’t happen to them, until it does.
Crashes can and do happen and it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure passengers under the age of 15 are properly restrained.
You can expect to see Police anywhere anytime.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
