If you're driving out of town this long weekend, police want you to make sure all the kids have their seatbelts on.
Even if they're of the goat variety.
Police manning a checkpoint in eastern Bay of Plenty found a goat travelling in the back seat of a vehicle.
"It was odd seeing an unrestrained goat in a car today," said Const Marty Sanderson of Whakatane, "but the good thing was, all the human passengers had seat belts on.
"Although it's not illegal to have an unrestrained animal in your vehicle, pets should be safely restrained with an appropriate harness or restraint, in a cargo barrier, cage or crate."
Police in the region have been cracking down on drivers with children in their vehicles not wearing proper child restraints.
"Faults identified included children not restrained at all, twisted shoulder straps, loosely fitted seats and children in restraints that were the wrong size," said Sgt Ray Wylie.
"In almost every case where a child was found unrestrained, the driver was wearing a seatbelt. Police would like to remind drivers that it is their responsibility to ensure children in vehicles up to the age of 15 years old are correctly restrained."
Out of 166 restraints examined in the operation, 15 were deemed worthy of an infringement notice.
Newshub.
