Confusion about child car restraints

Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of those with children in their care are only slightly familiar or not familiar at all with current child car restraint legislation in WA, according to an RAC survey.

The child restraint survey asked 948 RAC members who were either parents, grandparents, or caregivers of children under 12, and have had experience with using a child car restraint in the last five years, about their experiences using child car restraints and their familiarity with child restraint laws.

The survey found that 72 per cent of those whose child had transitioned to a regular car seat and seatbelt had never heard of the 5-step test.

The 5-step test can help determine whether a child is ready to transition to an adult car seat.

Correct fitment of child car restraints was identified as a common problem. Among those who said they were ‘not extremely’ or ‘not very’ confident that restraints were installed and being used correctly, the key concerns were booster seats not fitting properly, ensuring the correct height and tightness of the belt/harness, the seatbelt not locking properly, and being confident that the restraint is properly fixed to its anchor points.

When asked about their first experience installing a child car restraint, members who felt they didn’t receive adequate guidance expressed that professional guidance, and clearer instructions would have significantly improved the installation experience.

Half of respondents (52 per cent) support or strongly support a law change requiring all children under 145cm tall to use a booster seat (or other child restraint), and 40 per cent support or strongly support increasing the age requirement to be able to sit in the front seat from 7 years to 12 years.