Child restraints
The new rules
All children under seven years of age must wear a child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a car for improved safety. The type of restraint will depend on the age of the child as follows:
- under the age of six months: to be restrained in a properly fastened and adjusted approved rearward facing child restraint (e.g. infant capsule)
- from six months to less than the age of four: to be restrained in either a properly fastened and adjusted approved rearward or properly fastened and adjusted approved forward facing child restraint with inbuilt harness (e.g. child safety seat)
- from four years to less than the age of seven: to be restrained in either a forward facing child restraint with an inbuilt harness or booster seat restrained by a correctly adjusted and fastened seatbelt or child safety harness.
There are also new laws about where children can sit in vehicles.
- If a car has two or more rows of seats, then children under four years must not travel in the front seat
- If all seats, other than the front seats, are being used by children under seven years, children aged between four and six years (inclusive) may travel in the front seat, provided they use an approved child restraint or booster seat.
VicRoads also recommends
That you have restraints fitted by an approved child restraint fitter.
To find an approved child restraint fitter in your area, see the VicRoads website at www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/ChildRestraints
What you have to do
To comply with the new child restraint rules you:
- have to know which is the correct child restraint(s) to use
- have to ensure that each child passenger is wearing a properly fitted and fastened child restraint or booster seat suitable for their age every time you drive a car.
VicRoads has detailed information on its website about which child restraints are suitable, how they should be fitted and where you can find the right restraints. You can also get advice from organizations such as KidSafe, RACV or your local council.
Road safety reasons
- On average, nearly 300 children under the age of seven are injured or killed as passengers in vehicles on Victorian roads each year.
- Parents are generally moving their children into adult seatbelts from about the age of five and half years – research suggests this is simply too early.
- Children up to seven years are at least four times more likely to sustain a head injury in a crash when sitting in an adult seatbelt only.
- Other research shows seating children aged four to seven years old in an appropriate booster seat reduces their risk of injury in a crash by almost 60 per cent, compared to if they were sitting in an adult seatbelt without a booster seat.
Exemptions
Taxis will continue to be exempt from the child restraint requirements. However, parents are encouraged to use their own restraints in taxis where possible. When there is no suitable child restraint available a seatbelt must be worn.
Also, while all passengers should wear seatbelts if fitted, bus drivers (of buses of more than 12 seats) will continue to be exempt from the responsibility of ensuring passengers (including children under 16 years of age) are wearing a seatbelt or child restraint.
Click here to see the Frequently Asked Questions.
Information on the new road safety rules and child restraints is also available in the following languages.
