Information for Australian Parents
Information contained on this page is applicable to Australian car seat laws and is seperate from general information found on the rest of this site.
Australia's law specifys:
Infants under 6 months old: must be restrained in a rear facing restraint.
Children 6 months to 4 years old: must be restrained in rear or forward facing restraint.
Children 4 to 7 years old: must be in a forward facing restraint or booster.
An approved restraint is one that meets AS/NZS 1754 standard, this is Australia's "5 Tick" standard. No other standards are accepted in Australia, it is an offence to sell, or offer for sale, a child restraint or part of a child restraint for use in a motor vehicle if it is not approved as described above.
Children less than 16 years old
It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that passengers under 16 years of age are properly restrained in a seat belt or approved child restraint. This does not apply to drivers of buses or motor bikes.
The maximum fine is currently $1,250 plus a Victims of Crime Levy with the loss of three demerit points.
Exemptions to AU law
- A child under one is travelling in a taxi and a suitable restraint is not available, provided the child does not travel in the front seat
- A child is travelling in a police or emergency vehicle
- A child has a medical condition or physical disability that makes it impractical to use a child restraint, and the driver has a certificate from a doctor indicating this is the case.
 |
Australian Standard AS/NZ1754. This standard covers materials, design, construction, performance, testing and labelling of child restraints. All restraints must carry the Australian Standard AS/NZ1754 sticker (shown to the left). Most overseas child restraints, including restraints from the UK, NZ and USA, do not comply with these Standards and cannot legally be sold in Australia. Seats that meet AS/NZS 1754 include: |
Background on the Australian standard for child restraints
Australian Standard for child restraints was first introduced in 1973. This standard is one of the toughest in the world, and demands an extremely high degree of protection for a child. The standard requires dynamic (crash) testing of restraints and features that significantly improve performance in a crash. One of the main features of the standard is the use of a top tether strap to an anchor point for infant restraints, child car seats, child harnesses and some booster seats.
Ongoing development of the Australian Standard will see better side impact testing to further improve the performance of child restraints. There has also been consideration of a new attachment system allowing a child restraint to be installed in the vehicle without the need for the use of the seat belt. Known as ISOFIX or LATCH systems, these have been developed under the International Standards Organisation (ISO) that has established an International Standard for child restraints. At this stage the decision has been made to continue with more rigorous testing of this new system, including the improvements to side impact tests, before changes to the Australian Standard are made.
Contact details for manufacturing companies
Britax(Safe-n-Sound, BabyLove, Hipod) |
| Free call: 1300 303 330 |
| Ph: (03) 9288 7288 |
| Fax: (03) 9311 5798 |
| 99 Derby Road (entry via Thorpe Street) |
| Sunshine Victoria 3020 |
| custserv@britax.com.au : (NZ nzoffice@britax.com.au) |
IGC Dorel(Mother’s Choice, Zuzu, Go Safe, Auger, IGC, Cosco) |
| Free Call: 1300 809 526 |
| 655-685 Somerville Rd |
| West Sunshine Victoria 3020 |
| sales@igcdorel.com.au : (NZ customerservice@igcdorel.co.nz) |
Infa |
| Ph: 02 4728 8000 |
| Fax: 02 4728 8040 |
| 110-114 Old Bathurst Rd |
| EMU PLAINS NSW 2750 |
| There is no known email address for Infa Baby Products |
The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria |
|
Transport South Australia |