You'd think it would be second nature to make sure that children are safely restrained in a car but statistics show they are injured after being allowed to stand between the front seats or unrestrained on the back seat.
Road crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children aged 14 and younger.
Robyn Farrell, director of and insurance brokerage, said: "Putting a seat belt on your children, or making sure they are seated correctly in a child seat, makes them aware, from an early age of the importance of road safety."
Here are some useful tips to ensure your child's safety in the car. Try them over Easter:
- An infant under 12 months old travelling in the front passenger seat should be in a rear-facing kiddie-seat.
- An older child weighing up to 18kg should ride in a forward-facing child safety seats.
- Those over 18kg should be correctly secured in belt-positioning seat-boosters or in other appropriate restraints until a adult lap/shoulder belt fits - usually around age eight.
- Children should never be held on an adult's lap or allowed to stand between the front seats.
- A child safety seat should be installed in the centre of the back seat or behind the front passenger seat.