Insurance Australia Group (IAG) New Zealand has reminded caregivers with young children to double check their child car seats and restraints this holiday season.
This comes as IAG completes a review of its child car restraints claims processes. As a result, the insurer has expanded its coverage for child car seats in vehicles that are stolen or involved in accidents.
“Child car seats and capsules are critical for keeping little ones safe while travelling, yet certain types of vehicle impacts can compromise a restraint’s integrity,” said IAG executive general manager for claims, Dean MacGregor. “In some cases, there may not be any obvious signs of damage, but the restraint is in fact unsafe to continue using.
“This increased protection from IAG covers a new car seat in addition to a car’s repair or replacement costs, which will help reduce the number of compromised car seats making their way back into our communities.”
With the summer and Christmas seasons causing higher road traffic across New Zealand, IAG reminded caregivers to ensure their child car seats and capsules still meet New Zealand safety standards.
Due to the absence of official recommendations for replacing child car seats after an accident, IAG said it will refer to international best-practice safety standards and criteria to determine whether a car seat needs to be replaced.
The insurer will work with child car seat specialists Baby on the Move to replace customers’ stolen or damaged restraints. If during the claims process any car seats are deemed unsafe to continue using, IAG will dispose of it sustainably in cooperation with SeatSmart, the national car seat recycling programme. With this move, IAG expects to recycle and replace around 500 car seats every year.
