Car Safety

Children need different restraints as they grow. The restraint must match the age, size and weight of your child. It must be correctly installed in your car and the straps must be adjusted so that your child is held in snugly. When using a restraint, follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly or go to a Restraint Fitting Station – their operators have been specially trained to install approved infant and child restraints in a wide variety of vehicles. The type of restraint will depend on the age of the child.
CHILD RESTRAINT & BOOSTER SEAT ROAD RULES VICTORIA
• Children aged under six months must wear a properly fastened and adjusted approved rearward facing child restraint.
Children under 6 months must use an approved rearward facing child restraint and travel only in the rear row. If your car does not have a rear row, this does not apply. However, a rearward-facing child restraint cannot be used in the front seat where there is a passenger airbag. A rearward facing child restraint allows a child to lie down and, in a crash, gives support and protection to the head and neck – the most vulnerable parts of a child’s body.

• Children aged between six months and under four years must wear a properly fastened and adjusted approved rearward facing child restraint OR a forward facing child restraint with an in-built harness.
Children in this age group must travel only in the rear row (if your car does not have a rear row, this part of the rule does not apply). Children grow at different rates between the age of 6 months and 4 years, so a child may use EITHER a rearward facing child restraint OR a forward facing child restraint with an inbuilt harness. Because rearward facing travel is safer, you should move your children to a forward facing child restraint only when they have reached the weight or length limit of their rearward facing child restraint. Just because a child has turned 6 months does not mean the child is ready to be placed in a forward facing child restraint.

• Children aged four years to under seven must wear a properly fastened and adjusted approved forward facing child restraint with an in-built harness OR an approved booster seat with a properly fastened and adjusted seatbelt or child safety harness.
Children in this age group must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle that has a back row or rows unless all the other back seats are occupied by children who are also under 7 years. Children in this age group vary considerably in height and weight. A child may use EITHER a forward-facing child restraint with an inbuilt harness OR an approved booster seat with lap-sash seatbelt. If you are using a seating position with a lap-only seatbelt, you must also use a child safety harness. Remember that children grow at diff erent rates. Just because they have turned 4 years does not mean they are ready for a booster seat. If your child is still under 18 kg and fi tting in the forward-facing child restraint with inbuilt harness, keep using this restraint.

• 7 Years & Over
It is safer for children of any age to travel in the back seat. There must be only one passenger for each seating position and one seatbelt for each passenger. Research suggests that an adult seatbelt (which is designed for adult males) will fit a child properly when they are around 145cm tall. It is therefore important to check whether your child is tall enough to be safely restrained by an adult seatbelt. If a child is over 7 years and still fits in a booster seat (up to 26 kg), it is sensible to continue using it until they are tall enough for the seatbelt to fit properly