Child Restraint Statistics 2009

Last updated on 21/06/2010 4:20 p.m. 

The latest annual national survey of child restraint use in New Zealand by children under five years was carried out in October 2009. Children in more than 5,300 cars were observed at 112 sites throughout New Zealand. As in previous years, sites were surveyed during school hours in the school term in order to target pre-schoolers. Results were weighted to reflect the population under five in each local authority.

The results from 2009 showed that across all sites, 91 percent of children under the age of five years were either in an infant seat, child seat, booster seat, or restrained by a child harness.

Fifty two percent of the children in the survey were appropriately restrained in child seats, 18 percent in booster seats, 20 percent in infant seats and less than half a percent in child harnesses. A further 5 percent were restrained by adult safety belts only. The remaining 4 percent were not restrained, including less than 1 percent who were held on the knee of other passengers (see Table 1).

Table 1: Restraint type used by children under five (%)

Category  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003*  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
Appropriate restraint used  75  79  82  86  86  87  89  91  91  90  91 
Adult safety belt used 11  11  9  9  8  8  7  6  7  5  5 
Unrestrained 14  11  9  5  5  5  4  4  2  5  4 

*Rounded figures given; actual percentages add to 100 percent.

Regional Wearing Rates

National surveys are designed to provide a consistent measure of child restraint use over time, by surveying the same sites in each region each year. Table 2 shows the child restraint wearing rates by children under the age of five years in each Local Government region. In 2009 at least 200 children were surveyed in each region, except in Gisborne where 62 were observed and the West Coast where 93 were observed.

Overall, the wearing of child restraints has changed little since 2007. Child restraint wearing in Waikato and Taranaki decreased this year. Wearing rates have increased in Manawatu-Whanganui and Wellington. Wearing rates in all other regions are being maintained.

Local government region  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
Northland 61  70  69  85  84  95  98  100  95  88  89 
Auckland 70  75  77  83  82  81  86  92  90  90  89 
Waikato 80  78  81  88  90  87  89  87  89  93  89 
Bay of Plenty 75  79  78  87  78  81  91  89  86  87  84 
Gisborne 47  68  79  69  76  88  92  93  100  94  90 
Hawke's Bay 74  67  90  94  83  92  98  89  92  92  94 
Taranaki 82  77  78  95  91  94  87  95  96  96  88 
Manawatu-Whanganui 71  83  81  84  89  94  91  94  97  95  99 
Wellington 81  81  83  82  90  89  91  92  90  81  97 
Nelson-Marlborough 65  73  79  94  92  93  91  93  91  96  96 
West Coast 80  82  84  92  92  92  92  93  96  99  99 
Canterbury 87  88  94  91  93  93  83  85  90  91  94 
Otago 89  87  97  97  90  95  91  91  98  96  93 
Southland 84  87  76  81  88  83  94  92  90  95  92 
All NZ 75  79  82  86  86  87  89  91  91  90  91 

Metropolitan Area Wearing Rates

Child restraint wearing rates for selected metropolitan areas are presented in Table 3. The observed wearing rates have increased for Waitakere, Auckland and Wellington and decreased for Hamilton. All other metropolitan areas showed a steady wearing rate.

Table 3: Child restraint wearing rates, by metropolitan area (%)

Metropolitan areas  1999 2000 2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
North Shore 84  91  90  79  88  80  94  93  92  98  97 
Waitakere 76  80  78  86  91  95  91  90  89  82  94 
Auckland City 71  81  82  88  85  88  86  86  89  95  99 
Manukau 59  64  69  82  68  66  76  96  91  86  82 
Hamilton 84  81  84  90  95  80  94  87  88  96  88 
Wellington City 88  91  87  86  84  86  87  87  89  84  97 
Christchurch 84  88  94  90  93  91  77  85  89  98  98 
Dunedin 87  85  98  99  91  96  91  98  100  97  95 

Local Authority Wearing Rates

At Local Authority level, sample sizes are relatively small and results should be treated with caution. For example, with a sample size of 100 and a wearing rate of 80 percent, the margin of error (based on a 95 percent confidence interval for the wearing rate) is approximately 8 percent.

Child restraint wearing rates at Local Authority level are presented in Table 4. Results are likely to fluctuate where sample sizes are small and caution should be taken, particularly when samples are smaller than 100. No wearing rate has been estimated where fewer than 60 children were sampled. Where appropriate, neighbouring local authority areas have been combined to enable estimation of the child restraint wearing rate.

Table 4: Child restraint wearing rates by Territorial Local Authority, 2009

Local authority/authorities  Children in sample  % in child restraints 
Northland 
Far North/Kaipara 119 78
Whangerei 89 98
Auckland 
North Shore 272 97
Rodney 87 99
Waitakere 126 94
Auckland 314 99
Manukau 368 82
Franklin/Papakura 103 87
Waikato
Waikato 85 80
Waipa 152 93
Matamata - Piako/South Waikato 176 90
Hamilton 159 88
Taupo/South Waikato 154 92
Bay of Plenty
Tauranga 131 85
Western Bay of Plenty 91  60
Rotorua 72  92
Whakatane/Kawerau 76 83
Gisborne
Gisborne 62 90
Hawke's Bay
Wairoa 79 95
Napier 141 99
Hastings 157 93
Hastings/Central Hawke's Bay 182 93
Taranaki
New Plymouth 209 86
Stratford 99 96
South Taranaki 95 92
Manawatu-Whanganui
Ruapehu/Rangitikei/Whanganui 130 97
Manawatu/Tararua/Horowhenua 114 99
Manuwatu 68 97
Palmerston North 62 100
Wellington
Kapiti Coast 61 98
Porirua 69 99
Masterton/Carterton 111 97
Upper Hutt/Hutt City 146 95
Hutt City 93 95
Wellington City 226 97
Nelson-Marlborough/Tasman
Nelson 85 100
Tasman 99 96
Marlborough/Kaikoura 111 87
West Coast
Westland/Buller/Grey 93 99
Canterbury
Christchurch 279 98
Waimakariri 48 Sample too small
Ashburton 64 97
Timaru 87 93
Otago
Waitaki/Central Otago 111 91
Clutha 67 96
Dunedin 100 95
Southland
Gore 90 92
Invercargill 114 89

Police District Wearing Rates

National surveys are designed to provide a consistent measure of child restraint use over time, by surveying the same sites in each Police District each year. Waitemata, Auckland and Wellington increased from 2008. The increase observed for Wellington implies that the 2008 low was a one-off fluctuation, however further observation will be needed to confirm this.
 In 2009, at least 350 children were surveyed in each district, except in Northland (where 208 children were surveyed) and in Auckland (314 children).

Table 5: Percentage of children in child restraints, by Police District (%)

Police District  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 2009 
Northland 61  70  69  85  84  95  98  100  95  88  89 
Waitemata 79  84  82  83  91  89  93  93  90  87  97 
Auckland 71  81  82  88  86  88  86  84  89  95  99 
Counties-Manukau 63  64  69  75  69  68  86  97  91  87  83 
Waikato 80  80  83  87  91  86  90  86  87  93  89 
Bay of Plenty 76  77  76  88  78  83  90  90  87  88  85 
Eastern 63  68  86  88  81  91  96  87  94  92  94 
Central 77  80  80  88  90  93  90  94  95  95  95 
Wellington 81  81  84  80  90  89  91  92  91  81  97 
Tasman 70  75  80  94  92  93  91  93  92  97  96 
Canterbury 87  88  94  90  93  93  83  85  90  91  94 
Southern 88  87  89  93  89  91  92  92  95  96  92 
All NZ 75  79  82  86   86 87  89  91  91  90  91 

Police Area Wearing Rates

Child restraint wearing rates at Police Area level are presented in Table 6. Results are likely to fluctuate where sample sizes are small and caution should be taken, particularly when samples are smaller than 100. No wearing rate has been estimated where fewer than 60 children were sampled. Where appropriate, neighbouring police areas have been combined to enable estimation of the child restraint wearing rate.

Table 6: Child restraint wearing rates by Police area, 2009 

Police Area  Children in sample  % in child restraints 
Northland
Far North 98  81 
Whangerei 110  93 
Waitemata 
Rodney 87  99 
North Shore 272  97 
Waitakere 126  94 
Auckland
Auckland West 105  99 
Auckland East 209  99 
Counties/Manukau
Counties-Manukau West 180  82 
Counties-Manukau East 156  90 
Counties-Manukau Centra/South 135  71 
Waikato
Hamilton 159 88 
Waikato East 65 89
Waikato West 237 88
Bay of Plenty
Taupo 154 92
Western Bay of Plenty 222 79
Eastern Bay of Plenty 76 83
Rotorua 72 92
Eastern
Gisborne 141 92
Napier 141 99
Hastings 182 93
Central
New Plymouth 209 86
Taranaki Rural 194 93
Whanganui 82 98
Ruapehu/Whanganui 130 97
Palmerston North Rural 143 98
Palmerston North City 62 100
Wellington
Kapiti-Mana 172 98
Wellington 155 97
Lower Hutt 93 95
Upper Hutt 146 95
Wairarapa 111 97
Tasman
Nelson Bays 184 98
Marlborough 111 87
West Coast 93 99
Canterbury
Northern Cantebury 142 88
Christchurch Central 67 99
Southern Canterbury 151 95
Mid-South Canterbury 118 100
Southern
Dunedin 167 95
Otago Rural 111 91
Southland 204 91


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