Why are the child restraint laws changing in South Australia?
The Australian Road Rules currently require that children less than 12 months of age must be restrained in a suitable approved child restraint. However, children between 12 months and 16 years of age must be restrained in an approved child restraint or a properly fastened seatbelt, where one is available. The Australian Transport Council (comprising of Transport Minister’s from across Australia) has approved new laws which will introduce a mandatory, size-appropriate restraint system for all children up to the age of 7. This change will significantly improve the safety of children when travelling in vehicles. In South Australia alone, nearly 60 child passengers aged 0-12 years are killed or seriously injured each year. Over one third of these are aged 0-7 years. A further 365 sustain minor injuries every year. Just over 45% of passenger deaths and a quarter of those seriously injured in this age group were not wearing a restraint at the time of the crash. Research also suggests that ch
