As the warmer weather starts to approach, please remember it is not acceptable to leave a child unattended in a car even for a split second.  To ignore this means that you are breaking the law and punishable under the child protection act.

According to the NSW RTA website www.rta.nsw.gov.au here is some helpful information regarding some frequently asked questions when it comes to child car seat restraints….

What are the new laws in regards to child restraints?

All children under seven years of age must be secured in a child restraint or booster seat when traveling in a vehicle. The new child restraint laws in NSW are based on national model legislation.

Babies up to six months of age must be restrained in a rearward facing restraint.

Children from six months to under four years of age must be restrained in a rearward facing or forward facing restraint. Children under four years of age must not be in the front row of a vehicle with two or more rows.

From four years to under seven years of age a forward facing restraint or booster seat must be used. Children from four to under seven years of age can only sit in the front row of a vehicle with two or more rows when all other seats are occupied by children of a lesser age in an approved child restraint.

The ages specified above are a guide for the safety of your child. If your child is too small for a restraint specified for their age, they should be kept in their current restraint for as long as necessary.

If your child is too large for a restraint specified for their age, they may move to the next level of restraint.

Can my child sit in the front seat?

This depends on whether there is more than one row of seats in the car and the age of the child.

Where there are two or more rows of seats:

• A child under four years of age cannot sit in the front row of a car if there is more than one row of seats, even if they are large enough to fit in a booster seat.
• A child between four years of age and under seven years of age cannot sit in the front row of a vehicle that has more than one row of seats unless the other rows are occupied by younger children in an approved child restraint.

Note: you can only fit a booster seat in the front row of a vehicle if that booster seat does not require a top tether strap.

If the car has one row of seats (for example a single cab ute or sports car with a front anchorage point) a child of any age can sit in the front seat provided they are properly restrained. However, most car manufacturers recommend against the use of rearward facing restraints in front passenger seats.

A child in a rearward facing restraint should not be placed in the front seat of a vehicle where there is an air bag.

What if my child is too small or too large for the type of restraint specified for my child’s age?

If a child is too small for a restraint specified for their age, they should be kept in a previous level of restraint for as long as necessary.

If a child is too large for a restraint specified for their age, they may move to the next level of restraint.

A child aged between six months and four years of age will need to move to the next level of restraint when:

• Their shoulders no longer fit comfortably within the restraint; or
• Their eye-level is higher than the back of the restraint; or
• The top insertion slots for the shoulder straps are below the level of the child’s shoulders.

A child aged between four and seven years of age will need to move to the next level of restraint if:

• Their shoulders no longer fit comfortably within the restraint; or
• Their eye-level is higher than the back of the booster seat (when measured perpendicularly from the seat back).

Children should remain in a child restraint for as long as physically possible.

4 years – 7 years
Approved forward-facing restraint or booster seat