Child restraint statistics 2010

Last updated on 7/05/2012 9:41 a.m. 

The latest annual national survey of child restraint use in New Zealand by children under 5 years old was carried out in October 2010.

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 years in each local authority.

Child restraint use by children under 5 years has increased. In 2010, 93 percent of children under 5 years were either in an infant seat, child seat, booster seat, or restrained by a child harness. This is an increase from 91 percent in 2009.

Fifty-five percent of the children in the survey were appropriately restrained in child seats, 18 percent in booster seats, 20 percent in infant seats and half a percent in child harnesses. A further 4 percent were restrained by adult safety belts only. The remaining 2 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 5 years (%)
Category  2000  2001  2002  2003[1]  2004  2005  2006[1]  2007  2008  2009  2010[1]
Appropriate restraint used 79  82  86  86  87  89  91  91  90  91  93 
Adult safety belt used  11  9  9  8  8  7  6  7  5  5  4 
Unrestrained  11  9  5  5  5  4  4  2  5  4  2 

1 Rounded figures given; actual percentages add to 100%.

Figure 1: National restraint use patterns for children under 5 yearsGraph depicting national restraint use patterns for children under 5 years old

In this report, changes from previous years have been commented on in the text only if statistically significant at the 5 percent level.

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 five years in each local government region. In 2010 at least 190 children were surveyed in each region, except in Gisborne where 117 were observed and the West Coast where 84 were observed.

Table 2 shows that overall, the wearing of child restraints has increased since 2009. Some regions have shown increases or decreases in wearing rates. For example, child restraint wearing in Wellington has returned to 91 percent as in 2005, from 97 percent in 2009. Child restraint use observed in Gisborne has fallen over the last 4 years, from 100 percent wearing rate in 2007 to 85 percent in 2010. Wearing rates have increased by 7 percent in Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. Wearing rates in all other regions are at similar levels to previous years. 

Table 2: Child restraint wearing rates, by region (%)
Local government region  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
Northland 70  69  85  84  95  98  100  95  88  89  88 
Auckland 75  77  83  82  81  86  92  90  90  89  96[2] 
Waikato 78  81  88  90  87  89  87  89  93  89   90 
Bay of Plenty 79  78  87  78  81  91  89  86  87  84  91[2] 
Gisborne 68  79  69  76  88  92  83  100  94  90  85 
Hawke's Bay 67  90  94  83  92  98  89  92  92  94  93 
Taranaki 77  78  95  91  94  87  95  96  96  88  95[2] 
Manawatu-Wanganui 83  81  84  89  94  91  94  97  95  99  97 
Wellington 81  83  82  90  89  91  92  90  81  97  91[2] 
Nelson-Marlborough-Tasman 73  79  94  92  93  91  93  91  96  96  93 
West Coast 82  84  92  92  92  92  93  96  99  99  96 
Canterbury 88  94  91  93  93  83  85  90  91  94  93 
Otago 87  97  97  90  95  91  91  98  96  93  96 
Southland 87  76  81  88  83  94  92  90  95  92  93 
All New Zealand 79  82  86  86  87  89  91  91  90  91  93[2] 

2 Statistically significant change from previous year.

 Metropolitan area wearing rates

Child restraint wearing rates for selected metropolitan areas are presented in Table 3. Results from the previous cities of North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland and Manukau are now incorporated into Auckland, following their amalgamation in 2010. Auckland has shown an increase in wearing rate from 89 percent in 2009, to 96 percent in 2010. Wellington and Christchurch metropolitan areas have decreased wearing rates from previous years, decreasing from 97 percent in 2009 to 93 percent for Wellington, and 98 percent in 2009 to 91 percent for Christchurch. Wearing rates have not changed significantly in the other metropolitan areas shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Child restraint wearing rates, by metropolitan area (%)[3]
Metropolitan areas  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010
Auckland 75  77  83  82  81  86  92  90  90  89  96[4] 
Hamilton 81  84  90  95  80  94  87  88  96  88  90 
Tauranga     88  80  81  87  97  78  86  85  85 
Wellington 91  87  86  84  86  87  87  98  84  97  93[4] 
Christchurch 88  94  90  93  91  77  85  89  98  98  91[4] 
Dunedin 85  98  99  91  96  91  98  89  97  95  95 

3 Prior to 2010, Auckland regional wearing rate shown. Limited historical Tauranga data is available.

4 Statistically significant change from previous year.

Local authority wearing rates

Child restraint wearing rates at territorial local authority (TLA) level are presented in Table 4. At TLA 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 75 percent the margin of error is approximately 9 percent. While small samples make it difficult to detect small changes in the wearing rate from year to year, these results are useful to local authorities as an indication of how much improvement is needed. Where fewer than 70 children were sampled in a TLA, neighbouring local bodies have been combined for estimation.

Table 4: Child restraint wearing rates by territorial local authority, 2010
Local authority/authorities Children in sample % in child restraints
Northland 
Far North/Kaipara  93  84 
Whangarei  99  93 
Auckland 
Auckland  1888  96 
Waikato 
Waikato  92  79 
Waipa  133  92 
Matamata-Piako/Waipa  204  90 
South Waikato  190  96 
Hamilton  150  90 
Taupo/South Waikato  248  98 
Bay of Plenty 
Tauranga  114  85 
Western Bay of Plenty  140  94 
Rotorua  174  95 
Whakatane/Kawerau/Western Bay of Plenty  183  95 
Gisborne 
Gisborne  117  85 
Hawke's Bay     
Wairoa/Hastings  171  92 
Napier  102  96 
Hastings  101  91 
Hastings/Central Hawke's Bay  117  91 
Taranaki     
New Plymouth  156  96 
Stratford/South Taranaki  135  94 
South Taranaki  75  93 
Manawatu-Wanganui     
Ruapehu/Rangitikei  190  99 
Whanganui  114  98 
Manawatu/Tararua/Horowhenua  99  94 
Manawatu/Palmerston North  152  98 
Palmerston North  83  99 
Wellington 
Kapiti Coast/Porirua  106  90 
Masterton/Carterton  33  Sample too small 
Upper Hutt/Hutt City  133  93 
Hutt City  87  94 
Wellington City  343  93 
Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman 
Nelson/Tasman  165  98 
Tasman  104  96 
Marlborough/Kaikoura  72  83 
West Coast 
Westland/Buller/Grey  84  96 
Canterbury 
Christchurch  289  91 
Waimakariri  52  Sample too small 
Ashburton  82  98 
Timaru  147  97 
Otago 
Waitaki/Central Otago  140  96 
Clutha/Dunedin  124  95 
Southland 
Gore  103  91 
Invercargill  145  93 

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. Child restraint use in Counties/Manukau and Bay of Plenty have increased from 83 percent and 85 percent in 2009 to 94 percent and 92 percent in 2010 respectively. Wellington has returned to 2005–2007 levels at 91 percent after 97 percent in 2009. The other police districts are maintaining the levels observed previously, as shown in Table 5.


In 2010, at least 300 children were surveyed in each district, except in Northland (where 192 children were surveyed) and in Auckland (205 children).

Table 5: Percentage of children in child restraints, by police district (%)
Police district  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010
Northland  70  69  85  84  95  98  100  95  88  89  88 
Waitemata  84  82  83  91  89  93  93  90  87  97  97 
Auckland  81  82  88  86  88  86  84  89  95  99  98 
Counties-Manukau  64  69  75  69  68  86  97  91  87  83  94[5] 
Waikato  80  83  87  91  86  90  86  87  93  89  89 
Bay of Plenty  77  76  88  78  83  90  90  87  88  85  92[5] 
Eastern  68  86  88  81  91  96  87  94  92  94  91 
Central  80  80  88  90  93  90  94  95  95  95  97 
Wellington  81  84  80  90  89  91  92  91  81  97  91[5] 
Tasman  75  80  94  92  93  91  93  92  97  96  94 
Canterbury  88  94  90  93  93  83  85  90  91  94  93 
Southern  87  89  93  89  91  92  92  95  96  92  94 
All New Zealand  79  82  86  86  87  89  91  91  90  91  93[5] 

5 Statistically significant change from previous year.

Police area wearing rates

Child restraint wearing rates at police area level are presented in Table 6. At police area 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 75 percent the margin of error[6] is approximately 9 percent. While small samples make it difficult to detect small changes in the wearing rate from year to year, these results are useful to local police as an indication of how much improvement is needed. Where fewer than 70 children were sampled in a police area, neighbouring local areas have been combined for estimation.

6 Margin of error based on a 95 percent confidence interval.


Table 6: Child restraint wearing rates by police area, 2010
Police area  Children in sample % in child restraints
Northland 
Far North  76  80 
Whangarei  116  94 
Waitemata 
Rodney/North Shore  225  98 
North Shore 184  99 
Waitakere  141  96 
Auckland 
Auckland West/Auckland East  205  98 
Auckland East  153  98 
Counties/Manukau 
Counties-Manukau West  83  90 
Counties-Manukau East  98  96 
Counties-Manukau Central/South  122  94 
Waikato 
Hamilton  150  90 
Waikato East  71  87 
Waikato West  225  87 
Bay of Plenty 
Taupo  248  98 
Western Bay of Plenty  254  87 
Eastern Bay of Plenty  43  Sample too small 
Rotorua  174  95 
Eastern 
Gisborne  187  87 
Napier  102  96 
Hastings  117  91 
Central 
New Plymouth  156  96 
Taranaki Rural  135  94 
Whanganui  204  98 
Ruapehu  100  100 
Palmerston North Rural  148  95 
Palmerston North City  83  99 
Wellington 
Kapiti-Mana  125  89 
Wellington  296  93 
Lower Hutt  87  94 
Upper Hutt/Lower Hutt  133  93 
Wairarapa  33  Sample too small 
Tasman
Nelson Bays  165  98 
Marlborough  72  83 
West Coast  84  96 
Canterbury 
Northern Canterbury/Christchurch Central  279  92 
Southern Canterbury/Mid-South Canterbury  291  94 
Southern 
Dunedin  124  95 
Otago Rural  140  96 
Southland   248  92