Children up to 6 months of age – must be in a rearward facing child car restraint or capsule.
Children aged 6 months to 4 years – must be in a child car restraint either rearward facing or forward facing with an inbuilt harness.
Children aged 4 to 7 years – must be in either a booster seat or forward facing child car restraint.
Children under 4 years of age – are NOT permitted to travel in the front passenger seat when there is more than one row of seats in the vehicle.
Children aged 4 to 7 years of age – are ONLY allowed in the front passenger seat if all rear seating positions are in use by children under 7 and need to be in a booster seat.
Approved child car restraints are those certified as compliant with AS/NZS 1754 and must be correctly fitted and used accordingly.
what are australian standards?
The Australian Standards set the minimum requirements for materials, design, construction, performance, testing and labelling of child restraints systems in Australia. All child restraints sold or imported to Australia must meet the strict requirements of AS/NZS 1754.
can my child sit in the front passenger seat?
Current legislation requirements state the following:
Children under 4 years of age – are NOT permitted to travel in the front passenger seat when there is more than one row of seats in the vehicle.
Children aged 4 to 7 years of age – are ONLY allowed in the front passenger seat if all rear seating positions are in use by children under 7.
Research shows that persons travelling in the front passenger seat of a vehicle are at significantly greater risk of severe injury and/or death in the event of a crash. Children may legally ride in the front of a vehicle if they are correctly restrained. However, Kidsafe NT does not recommend children under the age of 10-12 years sit in the front seat, especially where there is a passenger airbag fitted.
what is the safest position to fit my child car restraint?
Statistics show that the middle rear seat is the safest position, by 2%, for a child car restraint to be installed. The next safest position is behind the passenger. Behind the driver is the least safest position as this is on the side of incoming traffic.
A child restraint may not be able to be placed in the centre rear seat position due to:
There is no centre anchorage point.
The seat has a raised centre hump or excessive contouring.
The driver’s seat cannot be positioned to allow the driver to safely drive the vehicle.
what do i do with the car restraint if i am involved in a car crash?
If a child car restraint has been involved in a vehicle crash over 40km/h or where the main body structure of the car is damaged then the child car restraint should be disposed of, even if there is no obvious damage or the child wasn’t using the restraint at the time. Before disposing of the child car restraint, please destroy by cutting all harnesses so it cannot be used.
my child car restraint is ten years old, can i still use it?
Child car restraints with a manufacturing date older then 10 years should be destroyed and disposed of as:
Restraints older than ten years may not perform as they were originally intended.
The Australian Standards were reveiwed in 2010 and 2013. Restraints with a manufacturing date prior to this may not meet these Standards.
can i use a second-hand restraint?
Before using a second-hand child car restraint check for an Australian Standards Sticker (AS/NZS1754), date of manufacture and the history of the restraint. We do not recommend the use of second hand car restraints if you do not know the history (i.e. if it has been in an accident).
what are the laws for child car restraints in taxis in the nt?
Child car restraint laws for taxis came into affect in the NT in 2019. Children under 7 need to use a child car restraint where one is avaliable. If there is no child car restraint available;
Children younger then one year old must be seated on the lap of a passenger over 16 years old.
Children one year and older must sit on their own seat with a seatbelt that is properly adjusted and fastened for their size.
What is the penalty for an unrestrained child?
The penalty for an unrestrained OR incorrectly restrained child is $540 + 3 demerit points. It is the driver who receives the fine and demerit point loss and it is their responsibilty to ensure all passengers are correctly restrained by seatbelts or child car restraints.
