The South Brisbane District Crime Prevention Unit held a “Seat Belts and Child Restraints” event at Westfield Garden City last 28 August, in cooperation with Transport Main Roads, Road Policing Unit, and Kids Safe.
The event, which is part of the Queensland Road Safety Week, was aimed at promoting, educating, and encouraging the use of seat belts and appropriately fitted child restraints.
“We know that appropriately fitted restraints save lives, we really need to get it right,” Acting Sergeant Ellis said.
She added that whilst the campaign has been around for a long time now, many are still getting caught driving without child restraints.
Queensland Road Safety Week (QRSW), which is now in its fifth year, was held from 26 to 30 August 2019. More than 500 events held across Queensland as part of the QRSW, encouraging locals to make road safety their first and foremost priority.
About Child Restraints
In Queensland, adults driving with children up to 7 years of age should ensure that they are restrained in a properly fastened and adjusted Australian Standard (AS) approved child restraint.
The law requires that the child restraint is correctly fitted and adjusted for their age and size, and meets Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754. One could possibly be fined $400 and incur 3 demerit points for each child that is not properly restrained.
Whilst it is not recommended to use second-hand child restraint, State Government suggests using child restraint that is less than 10 years old, secure a copy of the manufacturer’s manual, and to not use a child restraint that has been in a crash.
Choosing the appropriate child restraint will depend on the child’s age and size, but the common types are child restraints for babies up to 6 months old; babies and children—6 months to 4 years; children—4 to 7 years; booster cushions; and children 7 years and over.
