April 21st, 2022Kids not safe in cars

Concerning statistics from Kidsafe which found nine out of ten Victorian kids are not safe in the car have
promoted a call for parents and carers to make sure their child car restraints are installed correctly.
The survey of more than 9200 cars found that nine out of ten child car restraints are either incorrectly installed or used, with 51 per cent needing an adjustment and 37 per cent requiring a full re-installation.
Should a parent crash while driving, the risk of life-threatening injuries to children are up to six times greater when child car restraints are incorrectly installed or used.
To help improve safety in the car, Victorian families have access to the Safe Seats, Safe Kids program – which offers free fittings and safety checks by accredited professional child car restraint fitters.
Common incorrect installation and usage issues identified as part of the program include:
• top tether straps were twisted, connected to the wrong point or not connected to an anchor point at all
• twisted harness straps or harness straps that were at the incorrect height
• seatbelts which were threaded through the incorrect path, or were loose
• ISOFIX attachments which weren’t secured correctly
• children who had been graduated to the next stage of car restraint before they were the right size.
Kidsafe Victoria has also launched a new free online e-learning tool to help parents make their child car restraints safe. The e-learning tool offers information and advice on choosing, installing, adjusting and using child car restraints and booster seats.