Tawa School Procedures
Seatbelt Safety
Created: 2007
Reviewed:
According to Land Transport NZ the mandatory requirements for children are:
Children aged five to seven years must use a child restraint if there’s one available. Otherwise they must use a safety belt if one is available. If there are no child restraints or safety belts available, they must travel in the back seat.
Children aged 8 – 14 years must use a safety belt if one is available. Otherwise they must travel in the back seat.
Please note: a child restraint is listed as either a ‘booster seat’ for 14-26kg (approx. 4 – 7 years) OR a child harness for 14-32kg (approx 4-7 years).
Tawa School will always comply with this requirement when transporting students by car, and insists that children must wear a safety belt.
WHERE POSSIBLE Tawa School will also observe the following practices:
Booster seats will be used if supplied by parents/caregivers (and will only be used with diagonal seat belts in the back seats, no booster seats to be used with a lapbelt).
Students to sit in the front seat ONLY if the back seat/s are not available. The car seat is to be moved back as far as possible.
Students to use lapbelt only if there are no diagonal seatbelts available in the backseat.
Land Transport NZ, February 2005: Child Restraint, Factsheet 7, and Safety Belts and Airbags, Factsheet 30