Safety: Child restraint seats: Compulsory, not optional

Older children who have outgrown their child restraint seats, but who are still too small for adult-sized seatbelts in vehicles, still need to be properly secured while travelling, although recent research suggests this isn’t happening. 

Findings from the Automobile Association’s (AA) Child Safety Seat Survey – conducted last year – also highlight that a quarter of motorists admit to not restraining children under 12 years of age at all while driving.

“Having a child passenger – whether it is in the front passenger seat or back seats – restrained while driving is absolutely essential to ensure proper safety.

“Study after study has shown that children who aren’t properly restrained, and who are involved in crashes – even at slower speeds – have more chance of being seriously injured or, worse, killed, than those who are,” notes the AA.

The association says many parents or guardians do not restrain children when they are too big for baby car seats, and too small for adult-sized seatbelts.

There are five important rules when driving with driving with children: Set an example by always using your own seatbelt; Choose the right car seat for your baby or young child; Properly attach the child seat to the car; Fasten your child in the child seat correctly; Adjust the harnesses as the child grows.

The AA says there is an unfortunate perception among many drivers that because they consider themselves to be excellent drivers, their passengers don’t need to be restrained because “I will ‘never be in a crash”.

“People overestimate their abilities which, in the end, doesn’t determine whether they are involved in a crash or not. Many good drivers are the victims of other people’s reckless road behaviour and precisely for this reason, every precaution must be taken to ensure your, and your passengers’ safety,” the AA said.

Current legislation requires children up to the age of three to be harnessed securely in an approved child restraint when travelling in a car.

The AA says this does not include an adult holding onto a baby in the front seat of a car when the car is on the road.

“A 10 kilogramme child who is involved in a crash at 60km/h will weigh 600kgs at the moment of impact. At this weight, no one is going to prevent that child from slamming through the front windshield. People who have children sit on their laps while driving (in many instances who are themselves buckled up) are reckless and irresponsible and should immediately stop this dangerous practice.”