Laws For Child Car Seats In Australia

Family road trips are one of the best ways to bond and create memories, but if you are bringing any young children along you cannot overlook their safety.

Australia has a number of legal requirements regarding child car seats intended to keep your children safe.

The kinds of penalties, coming in the form of fines and demerit points, relate to having your children secured properly in a seat that is suitable for their age and size.

So please make sure before you hit the road that you have the proper seat and know how to use it properly.

Here is an outline of the national laws on child restraint:

For children six months old or younger: if your child is under six months of age she or he has to be secured in a rearward facing seat that is designed especially for babies. Make sure everything is fastened securely before you hit the road.

For children six months to four years old: children in this age range can be secured in either a forward or rearward facing seat as long as it has an inbuilt harness.

Once the again the seat must meet safety standards and be approved for safe use.

If your child is under 4 years of age she or he cannot travel in the front seat of your vehicle (provided that it has more than one row).

For children between the ages of four and seven: children in this age range should be secured in a forward facing seat with a built in harness, or a booster seat approved for safe use.

If you do use a booster seat, children need to be secured by an adjustable lap and sash seat belt.

Your child also needs a seat that is the right fit for the size of their body.

For children between the ages of seven to sixteen: children in this age range, if for any reason they cannot be restrained properly with an ordinary seat belt, should also be restrained in a booster seat approved for safe use.

Furthermore the backseat is always the safest spot for a child to sit in, so if you vehicle has more than one row it is always recommended for them to sit in the back seat regardless of their age range.

In The Event That Your Child Doesn’t Fit In A Hire Car Child Car Seat

Before setting out on your journey no matter how far, you need to be certain that your child is fastened securely into their child car seat.

Once your child becomes too large for their seat, even if they still fall into the smaller age category, than you need to bump them up to the next level prematurely.

Likewise, if your child is too small for the seat designated for their age group, then you need to bump them down into a lower age range in order to make sure they can be secured safely.

Approved Car Seat Restraints

Any child car seat you use on Australian roads has to have an AS/NZS 175 label on it to ensure that it has passed the national safety standards.

Any seat that has not been approved according to Australia’s safety standards is not legal for use in Australia.

Finally, in addition to secure child seats it is also important to adhere closely to traffic regulations while driving.

If you have any additional questions or would like to as about renting a car in Sydney, feel free to get in touch with us at any time and we will be happy to help you.