OVER the next two weeks, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will be reminding parents and carers of the importance to use age appropriate and correctly fitted child restraints in their vehicles.
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The key message of Council's education campaign is that parents and carers need to be aware of the national child restraint laws and have their child restraints fitted correctly.
Even at lower speeds, studies have shown that children that are incorrectly restrained are more at risk of being injured in a collision.
Council's Road Safety Officer, Nick Gainsford, says the campaign emphasises that all children under the age of 7 years must be appropriately restrained to reduce the chance of serious injury or death if involved in a crash.
National child restraint laws:
All children under 7 years of age must be restrained in a suitable and approved child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a car as follows:
Children under 6 months must be restrained in an approved rearward facing restraint.
Children aged 6 months to under 4 years must be restrained in an approved rearward or forward facing restraint.
Children aged 4 years to under 7 years must be restrained in an approved forward facing restraint or booster seat.
Children younger than 4 years must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle that has two or more rows.
Children aged 4 years to under 7 years must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle that has two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than 7 years.
For more information, including where to find an authorised child restraint fitting station, visit the RMS website http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/children/childrestraints/index.html
