Child Car Seat Safety Project
WALGA, through the RoadWise Program, manages and coordinates the Child Car Seat Safety Project which provides:
- the public with access to child car seat fitting services across Western Australia,
- training (through WALGA’s RTO) and ongoing support to the network of Type 1 Child Car Restraint Fitters,
- a telephone information line and website, with access to information about fitting service locations and advice on child car seats, and
- a partnership, through the Child Car Restraint Industry Advisory Group, between agencies and organisations with the aim of providing consistent and agreed policies in relation to child car seat safety in WA.
Child Car Seat Safety: Minimum Age Requirements
Using an appropriate child car seat can greatly reduce the risk of death or serious injury to a child in the event of a crash. The following information is intended as a quick reference guide to using a child car seat:
Note: All child car seats must be properly adjusted and fastened.
Birth - 6 months
Rearward facing child car seat - capsule or rearward facing convertible seat.
All of these child car seats will have an internal inbuilt harness and a top tether strap.
6 months - 4 years
- Rearward facing child car seat, or
- Forward facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness - forward facing convertible seat or a suitable combination seat.
All of these child car seats will have an internal inbuilt harness and a top tether strap.
4 - 7 years
- Forward facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness, or
- Booster seat with a lap sash seatbelt or a child safety harness, or
- Suitable combination seat used in a booster seat mode.
Some of these child car seats may not have a top tether strap.
The Australian Standard, Child restraint systems for use in motor vehicles AS/NZS 1754:2010 and 2013 is based on a child's age and height. This has changed from earlier versions of the Standard where weight needed to be considered. These restraints now exceed 10 years of age, following best practice guidelines, they are no longer recommended for use.
Product Safety Recall
For a complete list of child car seat and product safety recall information, visit the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission website.
Child Car Seat Safety Tools and Resource
WALGA’s RoadWise has produced a number of child car seat safety resources to assist professionals and the community. Some of these include:
- Cleaning Guide
- How to Guide
- Informal Install and Checking Guide
- Second Hand Seller Fact Sheet
To obtain copies of the above-mentioned materials, please email; childcarrestraints@walga.asn.au.
Useful Links
The following organisations also provide information on child car seat safety:
Further Information
Visit any of the below pages for more tailored information on the Child Car Seat Safety Project.
For general advice and information on child car seat safety:
Phone: 1300 780 713 (WST)
Email: childcarrestraints@walga.asn.au
Operating hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Complaints
WALGA’s complaints procedure is designed to assist in ensuring ongoing quality of and confidence in the service provided by the network of Type 1 Child Car Restraint Fitters.
If you are concerned about a service that you received from, or the activity of a Type 1 Child Car Restraint Fitter, you are encouraged to complete and lodge the Complaint and Procedure Form and forward it to the Child Car Seat Safety Project Coordinator; childcarrestraints@walga.asn.au.