Car seats can be tricky to install, and new data from Transurban sheds light on some of the common mistakes that parents and carers are making.
Transurban recently teamed up with Kidsafe for a car seat safety blitz, carrying out free safety checks on more than 1000 child car seats across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as part of National Road Safety Week in May 2023.
Around 90% of the seats checked during the safety blitz needed adjustments – or in some cases, total reinstallation.
Common errors that needed fixing were:
- loose or twisted seatbelts
- rear facing seats at incorrect angles or reclines
- seatbelts or ISOFIX-compatible connectors not connected properly
- incorrect harness heights and tether straps twisted or not fastened correctly to an anchor point
- children sitting in the wrong seat for their age/height.
Professional car seat fitters corrected errors in around 900 car seats as part of the Transurban program, giving hundreds of parents and carers peace of mind next time they hit the road.
Child seat use is very high in Australia (99%), but research shows nearly 40% of seats are being used in a way that could have serious consequences for children if they’re involved in a crash. What’s more, many parents and carers are making more than one mistake at a time.
This is significant, because a correctly fitted child car seat can significantly reduce the risk of injury in an accident by up to 70%.
Transurban is reminding parents and carers that it’s best to get your seat fitted by a professional – not just the first time it’s installed, but every time your child progresses from one seat to the next.
Our partners at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) have released updated guidelines for manufacturers who sell child restraint systems in Australia, aimed at improving the correct use of child restraint systems. The guidelines provide manufacturers with clear, easy to follow and evidence-based recommendations for developing informative materials for consumers.
Read the NeuRA guidelines.
