Leading safety agency Kidsafe Victoria is calling for legislative changes to make booster seats mandatory for children until they are 10 years of age and\/or pass the 5 step test, to ensure they do not graduate to using an adult seat belt until they are tall enough to safely do so.<\/p>\n
CEO Melanie Courtney emphasised the need for legislators to adopt best practice guidelines to ensure parents and carers are provided with clear advice on the optimal use of child car restraints, and how to minimise the risk of injury for their children.<\/p>\n
“Even though our children appear tall in our eyes, most children up to the age of 10-12 will require a booster seat to optimise their safety in the event of a collision. The evidence shows that it’s safest to leave children in booster seats until they have outgrown the size limit.”<\/p>\n
The risk of serious injury for children who can still fit in a booster seat but don\u2019t use one can be up to 3.5 times higher.<\/p>\n
The current laws require children over 7 years of age to travel in a booster seat or an adult seat belt.<\/p>\n
“It’s time to change the laws to reflect what is safest for children, and make them easy for all parents and caregivers to understand,” said Ms Courtney.<\/p>\n
Red Hill parent Lisa Farnsworth said her son Sam was living proof of the dangers of graduating children too early from a booster seat.<\/p>\n
In 2019, her 11-year-old son was involved in a severe collision that left him quadriplegic. Lisa believes that if there had been clearer guidelines regarding the use of booster seats, her son might have suffered less serious injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if not using booster seats was as illegal as not wearing a seatbelt, it might save lives. It might have saved Sam’s childhood,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The surgeon who operated on Sam said that the injuries he suffered, particularly those to his spine and neck, were a tragic example of what can happen when a child is not the right size to use an adult seat belt.<\/p>\n
“Seatbelts save lives, but they need to fit the person wearing them correctly,\u201d said Dr Warwick Teague, the Director of Trauma at The Royal Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people aren’t aware of the safety and importance of continuing to use a booster seat until a child outgrows the size limit, particularly when laws allow much younger and smaller-stature children to go without one legally.”<\/p>\n
\u201cHad Sam been supported by a booster seat it\u2019s likely his injuries would have been less severe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Courtney advised that Kidsafe Victoria recommends that children only transition to using an adult seat belt when they can pass the 5 step test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe test is designed to help determine whether a child is big enough to obtain optimal protection from the adult seat belt. A child can get a good seat belt fit if the answers to all of the questions in the test are yes.\u201d<\/p>\n