Caring for Young Families poster

c. 2014

Kindly supplied by Catherine Caley, Otago Community Services Leader, Plunket

Plunket

Car seats began appearing in the 1930s and 40s, when they were first created so that children could see out the windows of the car rather than as a safety precaution. The seats came in a variety of styles with most looking like steel armchairs. In 1981 the Plunket Society began their car seat rental scheme in Dunedin. It was not until 1994 that it became a legal requirement that all children under five had to be restrained in a regulation car seat while travelling in a car. Today all children under seven must be properly restrained in a car seat. Plunket is again there for support; it has offices nationwide that provide seats for hire.