Each year, car accidents claim the lives of thousands of children in Australia while hundreds receive minor or major injuries. The carelessness of the parents is the biggest reason for these deaths and injuries, mainly due to the failure of the parents to use car safety seats for children.
The type of safety seat you select depends on the age, size, and growing needs of your child.Some parents find it overwhelming to choose suitable seats because there are many in the market, including forward-facing, rear-facing, and booster seats.
Aside from picking the appropriate seat for your kid, you must also take time to learn the proper way of installing it. Before going further, let’s see what the law says about child car seats.
Australian Laws on Child Car Seats and Restraints
The Australian government has introduced significant changes in car seat laws both for babies and adults. Earlier, the seat belts were nonexistent, and parents used boxes on the back seat to restrain babies. In 2010, the Australian states agreed to implement common national child restraint laws. Here are the rules on the correct car seats and restraints to be used for children of various ages.
Newborn to 6-Month-Old Babies
The National Guidelines for the Safe Restraint of Children Travelling in Motor Vehicles recommend that parents use an approved rear-facing restraint to secure babies six months old or younger.
6-Month to 4-Year-Old Kids
Car safety seat laws do not allow children below four years old to travel in the front row of a vehicle that has two or more rows of seats. Also, they must be secured in front-facing or rear-facing seats with an inbuilt harness.
4-Year-Old to 7-Year-Old Kids
Children aged between four and seven years can travel in a front-facing restraint with an inbuilt harness or an approved booster seat with a lap or sash type seatbelt. Children of this age group cannot sit in the front seats of a vehicle with two or more rows of seats unless children of similar age groupsor younger also occupy the back seats.
7-Year-Old to 16-Year-Old Youngsters
Young ones aged 7 to 16 years may travel on any seat only if the seatbelt fits them. Australian road safety laws require that all travellers should fasten their seatbelts. If children of this age group are too small to use a belt, parents should use an approved booster seat. Always keep in mind to restrain children with the approved child safety harness properly adjusted and fastened.
Do Children Need Safety Seats in a Taxi or Bus?
Australian child restraint laws require buses with fewer than 12 seats to accommodate children in separate safety seats with inbuilt harnesses. Buses with more than twelve seats are exempted from installing child safety seats.
Rules for child car seats in taxis are the same for all states. A taxi driver is responsible for obeying the laws which state that children below 16 years of age do not need child restraint if they sit on rear seats. However, all the taxis need to have anchor points to enable the installation of separate car safety seats for children.
Thus, there’s wisdom in studying state laws before travelling with your children either by private or public transport. The safest way to travel with kids by bus or taxi would be to secure your children in safety seats in buses and taxis. Parents should always bring their suitable child restraint and make sure to install it properly. Many taxis in Australia carry approved child safety seats.
How to Buy an Approved Seat
Australian road safety laws have set standards for child safety restraints. The material, covers, performance, design, testing, and labelling must conform to Australian and New Zealand standards (AS/NZS 1754). Look for these standards stickers when buying safety seats or boosters. And just a note, buying these items from other countries is not allowed because they were not tested and rated for Australian standards.
Installation of Child Car Seats
To comply with Australian road safety standards, proper installation of child restraints is crucial. Neglecting this measure defeats the purpose of using a safety equipment. Studies show that 7 out of 10 child seats fail to conform with Australian safety standards because of incorrect installation. Read the instruction manual that comes with it. Better still, ask a professional to install it to ensure that it works as designed. While at it, make it a point to watch a car seat fitted. Don’t be shy to ask questions. It’s your child’s life you’re protecting, so there should be no shortcuts in finding the age-appropriate car seat and installing it correctly.
If you’re looking for that perfect car restraint or other car parts and accessories, feel free to browse our classified ads section or send us a parts request. It’s the easiest and fastest way to look for an auto part, and it will save you from making calls because it’s the sellers who will be calling and emailing you!
By Ghazanfar