WITH the long weekend on the horizon, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is reminding parents and carers of the importance of using age appropriate and correctly fitted child restraints in their vehicles.
The key message of council’s education campaign is that parents and carers need to be aware of the national child restraint laws and have their child restraints fitted correctly.
Even at lower speeds, studies have shown that children that are incorrectly restrained are more at risk of being injured in a collision.
Road safety officer Nick Gainsford said the campaign emphasised that all children under the age of seven must be appropriately restrained to reduce the chance of serious injury or death if involved in a crash.
“Studies have identified that some children are incorrectly restrained due to premature graduation to seatbelts, or to other forms of child restraints,” he said.
“We urge all parents and carers to check that their restraints are appropriate for their child’s age and correctly fitted.”
National child restraint laws:
– All children under seven years of age must be restrained in a suitable and approved child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a car as follows:
– Children under 6 months must be restrained in an approved rearward facing restraint.
– Children aged six months to under four years must be restrained in an approved rearward or forward facing restraint.
– Children aged four years to under seven years must be restrained in an approved forward facing restraint or booster seat.
– Children younger than four years must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle that has two or more rows.
– Children aged four years to under seven years must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle that has two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in an approved child restraint or booster seat.
For more information, including where to find an authorised child restraint fitting station, visit the RMS website www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/children/childrestraints/index.html
