Seat Belts & Child Restraints

4/8/2021

Seat Belts & Child Restraints

Why wearing a seatbelt is important!
Drivers and front-seat passengers, reduce the risk of death by 45% and cut the risk of serious injury by 50% by wearing a seat belt. Furthermore if you don't wear a seat belt, you are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash. So buckle up every time!

What rules apply to Child Restraints?
Children aged under 7 years must use an approved suitable child restraint when travelling in a vehicle. A child restraint is a forward‑facing or rear-facing child car seat, or a booster seat. To be approved, child restraints must meet Australian/New Zealand Standard. The driver is responsible for children aged under 7 years being secured by an approved child restraint suitable for their age and size.

Up to 6 months approved rear facing child car seat
6 months to 4 yrs approved rear or forward facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness
4 to 7 years approved forward facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness or booster seat
145cm or taller, suggested minimum height to use adult lap‑sash seatbelt

How to Fit Them?

Fitting child car seats - Child car seats must be properly fitted according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This includes adjusting the seat tightly and attaching it to an anchorage point designed for a child car seat. It’s recommended that child car seats are fitted by an Authorised Restraint Fitter or at an Authorised Restraint Fitting Station.
Fitting booster seats - Booster seats must be used with either a standard lap-and-sash type seatbelt or an approved child safety harness. Never use a booster seat with a lap seatbelt alone. Booster seats heavier than 2kg must be anchored to an anchorage point.
Children in the front seat - Children aged under 4 years, must not sit in the front seat of a vehicle that has 2 or more rows of seats, however they can sit in the front seat of a vehicle that only has one row of seats, but must use an approved child car seat suitable for their age and size. Children aged between 4 and 7 years must not sit in the front seat of a vehicle that has two or more rows of seats, unless the available seats in the back row are occupied by other children aged under 7 years.

Information Provided by TfNSW

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AIR-BAGS

2/7/2021

What is an AIR-BAGS purpose?
Air-bags reduce the chance of your head or upper body colliding with the vehicle's interior during a car crash. To avoid an air-bag-related injury, make sure you are properly seated and have your seat belt on correctly because air-bags are designed to work with your seat belts, not to replace them.

Where are they located in the Car?
Air-bags can be build into the dashboard, steering wheel, seats, doors and in the sides of a vehicle.

How do they work?
If a crash occurs, your airbag will deploys in a split second. As the car sensors detect the sudden dramatic change of speed and sends an electric signal to an ignitor. This generates heat and a chemical reaction occurs, which inflates the car's air-bags.

Should I ensure the car I drive has Air-Bags?
According to TfNSW driving a car with side airbags, your chance of a serious head injury is about 1%. But without side airbags, this jumps to 98 per cent. With such a huge reduction in injury statistics with the inclusion of only one set of air-bags, we believe the answer is undeniably YES!

See how side airbags could save your life in a side-on crash into a pole or tree below:

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