Australians spend a significant portion of our lives in the car with our families – from school runs to sports practice, visiting grandparents and holiday road-trips. Indeed, the backseat of the car is where many childhood memories (and sibling rivalries!) are made. Many parents will relate to carefully considering safety features like airbags and crash avoidance technology when choosing a family vehicle, and to the many hours that can be spent researching the best child car seat or restraint. When fitted and appropriately installed, child safety restraints are very effective in protecting children in the event of an accident. But did you know that Australian research indicates that more than 70% of all child car seats are incorrectly installed?
Child car safety laws in Victoria
So what are the rules on child car seats in Victoria? By law, all passengers must be safely restrained when travelling in a car. For children, this means a child restraint or booster seat that meets the Australian Child Restraint Safety Standard (AS/NZS 1754:2013), is appropriate to their size and age, and is properly adjusted and fastened.
- Children under 6 months of age must be secured in an approved rear-facing restraint.
- Children aged between 6 months and 4 years must travel in either an approved rear-facing restraint, or an approved forward-facing child restraint with a harness, the choice of which is determined by the child’s size.
- Children aged between 4 and 6 years must be secured in either an approved forward-facing child restraint with a harness, or an approved booster seat, determined by the child’s size.
- Children aged 7 to 15 must travel in either a booster seat, or use a standard adult seatbelt, depending on size.
Parents should be guided foremost by their child’s size: if your child’s shoulders no longer fit between the shoulder height markers on your safety restraint, then it’s time to move to the next level of restraint, regardless of age.
Many parents ask at what age a child can safely stop using a booster seat. Kidsafe Victoria recommends that children stay in a booster seat as long as possible – as a matter of best practice, they suggest that a good adult seat belt fit cannot be attained before a child is approximately 145cm tall. For some children, this may mean staying in their booster seat a little longer than their taller friends.
Meanwhile, many children ask (again and again!) at what age a child can sit in the front seat of a car. Again, Kidsafe recommend waiting until a child is approximately 145cm tall before sitting in the front seat. This is an important safety matter, as the risk of injury to children below this guide is nearly double than in the backseat, primarily due to the positioning of airbags.
Installing and using child safety restraints
All child car safety restraints must comply with the Australian Standard, which includes requirements for installation instructions. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and refer to your vehicle owner’s manual to ensure that the restraint is both suitable for your child and installed correctly into your car.
Child care safety restraints can be self-installed, but it may be worth having your child’s restraint fitted professionally the first time. Watch the installation closely and ask questions so you can confidently repeat the process yourself in future. Key things to look for are:
- A firm attachment of the tether strap to the anchor point; and
- A firm and untwisted harness or seat belt.
Some parents wonder which side of the vehicle is the safest location for a child car seat. Statistically speaking, the middle position in the back seat is safest, as it is best protected from side collision impact. However it is important to note that this only applies if a lap-sash seat belt is available in this position; a lap-only seat belt is never appropriate for a child safety restraint. If it’s not practical to use that centre position, the next safest is the kerb-side, as it minimises exposure to danger from passing vehicles when getting in and out of the car.
Extra tips for child car safety
Travelling with children can be stressful at times – in fact a study from the Monash University Accident Research Centre found that children are up to 12 times more distracting to a driver than speaking on a mobile phone! In addition to ensuring your children are safely secured in an appropriately fitted and installed child seat, there are a few other tips that can help keep your journey safe:
- Secure any loose objects in the vehicle to avoid injury;
- Take regular breaks when driving long distances;
- Make a habit of assisting younger passengers from the car before allowing older children to leave the vehicle;
- Encourage your children to exit the vehicle on the kerbside;
- Never leave your children unattended in a vehicle, even for a short time;
- Reward good passenger behaviour.
Have any other safety concerns? Pop in and see us. We can give your car a thorough safety-check in line with the VACC’s accredited Critical Safety Check program and keep you on the move with our premium service experience. Ask about our complimentary loan cars and flexible prepayment options and rest assured that we’ll go that extra mile to keep you on the road.
