Helping emergency services identify children involved in car crashes is behind a St John initiative that has the support of Plunket, the New Zealand Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ).
Over the past year (2018-2019), St John has attended 95 serious car crashes involving children aged under eight years old, and Suzy Mitchell, St John Community Programmes Manager (South Island), says the car seat ID stickers will provide emergency services personal information about children involved in vehicle crashes.
The sticker is placed on the side of a car or booster seat and has space for parents or caregivers to write the child’s name, date of birth and National Health Index (NHI) number (if known). There is also space for two emergency contacts, such as next of kin. The stickers are designed to act as an identifier in a vehicle crash if a child is left without a conscious adult who knows them at the scene of the crash.
“We know that accidents can happen at any time and are frightening at any age. There are occasions when first responders attend car crashes and the adult in the car is unresponsive, leaving children in car seats scared and confused and not able to communicate their details. The sticker ID is a simple way of providing essential information to emergency services in these situations,” Ms Mitchell says.
“By being able to address the child by their name, emergency services can provide comfort and ultimately make the situation a little less terrifying. The sticker also outlines two different emergency contacts which allows support to be accessed faster.”
Plunket’s Head of Policy and Advocacy Sonya Marshall says, “Plunket would love to see a reduction in car accidents and an increase in the effective use of car seats to prevent tamariki from experiencing trauma. We encourage whanau, when they place these stickers on their car seats, to take the opportunity to check that they have it installed correctly.”
New Zealand Police Acting Superintendent Amelia Steel, National Manager for Road Policing, says when there is a crash our people are focused on providing the immediate support they can.
“One of the key responsibilities of Police is locating the family or friends of victims. This would definitely help our ability to do that quickly, and to locate the most appropriate people.”
The stickers are available now free of charge from St John’s 43 community stores around New Zealand.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gerard Campbell Communications Advisor M 027 567 2083
E gerard.campbell@stjohn.org.nz