• Maria K R Wilson, Julie L Chambers, and James K Hamill.
• Starship Children's Hospital, Level 4, Surgical Service Support Office, PO Box 92024, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
• N. Z. Med. J. 2013 May 31;126(1375):27-36.

AimThe purpose of this study is to determine how children are transported to and from hospital, and to understand caregivers' car restraint knowledge base.MethodA convenience sample of 200 inpatients in five wards at Starship Children's Hospital. Parents or caregivers underwent a short interview, asking: the usual restraint used by their child; how the child was transported to hospital; their plans for transporting the child home; their knowledge of current New Zealand legislation and best practice recommendations regarding child car restraints.ResultsIn their normal car travel, 95% children younger than 5 years were reported to be using a car seat all the time, versus 34% children aged 5 to 9 years. In their journey to hospital, 8% (7/91) of children younger than 5 years were not in a child car seat; 27% (3/11) of children younger than 5 years transported to hospital in a taxi, were not in car seats (one was held in the parent's lap). Responses about the planned trip home showed nine children (7%) were at immediate risk of being transported in an unsafe way, without a child restraint. Questions about awareness of correct child restraint use showed 68% of the families with children aged 5 to 9 were unaware that it was important to continue to use a child restraint for their child.ConclusionThere is an opportunity for child health professionals to provide support to families with children in hospital by collaborating with established child restraint rental agencies and making best practice child restraint advice and products more readily available. New Zealand law should be updated to require the use of child car restraints beyond a child's fifth birthday.

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