Restraints save children's lives

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 19, 11 October 1983, Page 17

Restraints save children's lives

Spending just $45 saved the lives of Mrs Nieola Little's two pre-school children. An infant 'love seat'and a child restraint stopped two-year-old Anthony Little and 5-week-old Hayley from suffering serious injury in their mother's car as it •oughed into the tray of a !ick.. The restraint cost just $ 1 5 while the love seat came from the local Flunket fora $10 hireage fee and $20 deposit. Mrs Little was driving up a hill on the North Shore, in Auckland on her way home from shopping when the accident happened. With wet roads adding to strong glare from the sun, Mrs Little says she collided with the rear of a truck that had broken down on the hill. The seat belt she was wearing saved her from suffering any more than two black eyes and a cut to the head which needed eleven stitches. Had there been an adult •issenger in the front seat he ould have surely been killed as the roof caved in under the impact. As it was, five-week-old Hayley was

strapped onto the front seat in a love seat which, in the smash, tilted over onto, the seat, cocooning her safely. She was taken from the wreck without a scratch. Anthony in the back seat escaped with only a small scratch on the side of the nose. He was wearing a child restraint. Mrs Little says she has always made sure her children have been strapped in when they are taken out in the car. "It serves to keep them in one place while you are driving as well as for the obvious safety reasons,"she says. An insurance assessor looking at Mrs Little's 1974 Escort said the car was "a write-off". Mike Harris, Waiouru traffic officer, strongly urges all parents to use safety seats and child restraints for children in vehicles. "If parents could only see some of the heart wrenching accident sights that I see, . they'd take a lot more care with their kiddies in cars." "It was a miracle that the children weren't killed in the accident pictured on the front cover of last week's Bulletin ."

"Froperly manufactured restraints, booster cushions, child seats and seat belts are absolutely essential ... they are made to extremely rigid safety standards." There are local suppliers of these devices. Another alternative is to hire the equipment from Raetihi Flunket, who have seats for children from 0-6 months and larger ones for children from 6 months to 4 years.