Safer ride for children with booster seats in cars

• Zero deaths for the first time in 10 years for passengers under 7 years old
• Victorian Coalition Government urging parents to use booster seats until children are at least 145 centimetres tall
• Coalition Government protecting the community

The Victorian Coalition Government, together with its road safety partners, are urging parents to continue to use booster seats until their children have outgrown them.

Minister for Roads Terry Mulder gave his reminder to all parents at a time when Victoria has just recorded zero deaths for the first time in 10 years for passengers under 7 years old, for the year 2013.

“Children who are using a booster seat are 3.5 times less likely to be seriously injured in a crash than children using a seatbelt,” Mr Mulder said.

“In what may be a surprise for many parents the right time to transition your child to an adult seatbelt should not be based on their age but when a child is at least 145 centimetres tall.

“Moving your child into an adult seatbelt should not be a guessing game. Children need different restraints as they grow – restraints must be the right size for your child, properly adjusted and fastened, to be able to offer them the best protection in a crash.

“The message we are sending to parents is simple; we know that child restraints and booster seats help save lives. Keeping your child in a booster seat is as easy as counting to five.”

The Five Step Test is recommended in Australia’s new national child restraint guidelines to check if a child is ready for an adult seat.

For a child to be able to sit in an adult seatbelt, the answers to all these questions should be ‘yes’:

   1. Can the child sit with their back against the vehicle seat back?

   2. Do the child’s knees bend in front of the edge of the seat?

   3. Does the sash belt sit across the middle of the shoulder?

   4. Is the lap belt sitting low across the hips touching the thighs?

   5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

“We recognise the work of Neuroscience Research Australia and Kidsafe to develop this valuable resource and from next month we will be making the

guide available to all Victorian schools,” Mr Mulder said.

Mr Mulder said children 12 years and under are safest in the rear seat, despite their insistence that they sit in the front.

“Many children want to be allowed to sit in a ‘grown-up seatbelt’, but there is a right time for this and it’s when it is safe to do so,” Mr

Mulder said.

“It is also crucial that friends and family think about child restraints and booster seats too. Whether you are offering a lift home or dropping

kids off at sport – ask yourself – do I have the right type of restraint?  Don’t risk it.”

Professor Lynne Bilston from Neuroscience Research Australia said children who are not yet tall enough to use an adult seatbelt tend to slump into the vehicle seat so that their legs bend at the seat edge.

“This means the lap part of the seatbelt is positioned across the soft abdomen instead of on the hip bones, or the shoulder belt is across their neck and they are at risk of more serious injury in a crash,” Professor Bilston said.

“Another danger is that a child who is too small for a seatbelt will put the shoulder belt behind their back or under their arm, which means all the crash forces go on their soft abdomen. Using a restraint incorrectly increases the risk of serious injury by up to seven times in a crash.

“We will be working with schools across Victoria to help share the safety message on child restraints and booster seats – look out for a road safety message in your local school newsletters.”

CEO of Kidsafe Victoria Melanie Courtney highlighted the importance of child restraints and booster seats being properly installed in vehicles.

“I would advise parents and carers to choose a booster seat with an adjustable headrest that can move to suit the child's height as they grow. This will enable children to remain in a booster seat for as long as possible.” Ms Courtney said.

TAC Chief Executive Officer Janet Dore said the vision of the TAC and its road safety partners was zero deaths and zero serious injuries on our roads.

“To achieve this vision, our target for the next ten years is to further reduce the number of people who die on our roads by more than 30 per cent and further reduce the number of people who are seriously injured on our roads by more than 30 per cent,” Ms Dore said.

“Our internationally-awarded public education programs and investment into safer roads and research will continue to play an important role in delivering on our road safety targets. Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy 2012-2022 underpins everything we do to keep all road users safe.”

• For a copy of the 5 Step Test go to the Kid Safe website.
• For more information on choosing and using the safest restraint for your child see the VicRoads website.
• For more information on the Child Restraint Evaluation Program (CREP).
• For a copy of the National Guidelines.
• For a copy of Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy.