Car safety for children

Who remembers seeing their younger brother or sister belted into the back of a car in a bassinet? Or perhaps you had one of the child car seats that only had a padded hand bar around it? Well, thankfully, there are much stricter requirements for the safety of children in cars, and making sure your child is safe is easier than you might think.

Car seat regulations

In Australia, there are specific seats needed for children according to body weight. Any child restraint must be an Australian /New Zealand Standard 1754:2004 by law, and can be either purchased from retail outlets or hired from community groups, maternity hospitals and other commercial hire companies.

The Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales issued the following advice for parents:

• Using a restraint correctly greatly increases a child's safety during a crash.
• Placing a child in a restraint that is designed for a larger/older child increases the risk of serious injury in a crash.
• In NSW, it is illegal to use a child restraint in the front passenger seat of a vehicle if a passenger airbag is fitted.
• Ensure the restraint is installed correctly. See a restraint fitter if in any doubt.
• Always use the top tether strap where required.
• Teach your child to always keep both arms within the harness system of the child seat or the seat belt of the booster seat.
• When using a seat belt with a booster, ensure the seat belt is correctly fitted over the child's shoulder.
• Move your child into a forward-facing restraint only when they no longer fit into a rearward-facing restraint.
• Move your child into a booster seat only when they no longer fit into a forward-facing restraint.
• Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions.

Additionally, the restraints used for babies and toddlers must be connected to a properly fitted anchor point. Most new vehicles will already have these installed, but if you have an older car, you may need to have one installed by a professional. Most maternity hospitals can recommend a fitter.

Other car safety measures

It's wise to remember that if a car is travelling 60km/hour, then so too is anything within the vehicle. With this in mind, make sure there is nothing that can hit passengers if the car needs to stop suddenly. Pack any shopping low, either on the floor or in the boot of the car, or if you have a station wagon, look into a safety grill that will stop anything flying into a child's head.

Also, make sure that any back doors have the 'kiddy lock' in place. This can usually be found on the inside of the car doors, close to where the door locks in with the car body.

Newer cars with electronic windows can usually be controlled from the driver's seat, but if you have an older model with wind up windows, you may need to pay close attention to what the child is doing. Not only is it a danger to have a child's arm (and any other body part) out the window, but it's also a danger to other motorists if they throw anything outside the car. It's also against the law.

Lastly, keeping children entertained is an important safety measure. Portable DVD players, books, travel board games and other toys can be handy tools of distraction, allowing the driver to concentrate on the road.