Parenting Australia

New child restraint laws are coming!

On 4 November 2009, former NSW Premier Nathan Rees and Minister for Transport David Campbell announced the introduction of new child restraint laws for children up to seven years of age.

Summary of changes

From 1 March 2010:

• Children younger than six months must be secured in a rearward facing restraint.
• Children aged six months to under four years must be secured in either a rear or forward facing restraint.
• Children aged four years to under seven years must be secured in forward facing child restraint or booster seat.
• Children younger than four years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows.
• Children aged four years to under seven years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in a child restraint or booster seat.

New child restraint laws - Frequently Asked Questions

Choose the right child restraint

A child that is properly secured in an approved child restraint is less likely to be injured or killed in a car crash than one who is not.

Child restraints can be purchased from retail outlets or hired from some local councils, some maternity hospitals, community groups and from privately run rental companies.

Child restraints available in Australia must meet the Australian /New Zealand Standard 1754:2004 Child restraints for use in motor vehicles. The standard is one of the toughest child restraint standards in the world and child restraints manufactured to this Standard offer good protection in a crash.

A significant number of the restraints have been tested and assessed under the Child Restrain Evaluation Programme (CREP).

Find out more about the results of these tests and the guidelines you should follow when buying a child restraint in the safer child restraints brochure.

1 Comment

1. Jess makes this comment

   Tuesday, 16 February 2010

   
   i am disappointed with this law, mainly because we have 3 children that are aged 4,5, and 6, and I can tell you now that 3 booster seats will not fit across the back seat of my car, and i am not in a position to buy a bigger car. I am sure that I am not the only one in this predicament! I understand that it is a safer choice for children, but my 6 yr old is going to be lucky to fit back into a booster, because he is extremely tall,and I know a few other kids his age that are a lot bigger than him... so good luck to them, too!