21 August 2006
Laws are needed to prevent children graduating to seat belts too early to reduce their risk of injury in a car crash, say Monash University safety experts.
A Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) study has found that, based on height criteria, more than half of children aged between four and 11 are not in the appropriate restraint type while travelling in passenger vehicles.
The study, which surveyed almost 700 parents from Victoria and NSW, also found that many four and five-year-olds were travelling in adult seat belts.
Vehicle crashes are one of the main causes of child death and acquired disability in Australia, with 72 children aged under 16 killed as passengers in 2005. On average, 850 children are seriously injured annually on Australian roads.
MUARC senior research fellow Dr Judith Charlton said that children aged five to 10 years -- those in the 'booster seat age group' -- were over-represented in serious casualty and fatal car crashes compared with children under five years.
Australian laws require infants less than 12 months be restrained in a fitted and adjusted approved restraint, but the law relating to child restraints for older children is less definitive.
"It simply states that children over one year must be in either an appropriate child restraint or must use a suitable seatbelt - so the responsibility largely rests upon parents to decide which restraint is 'appropriate' for their child," Dr Charlton said.
"So while Australian child restraint systems provide good protection overall, children really need to be in restraints that best suit their size."
Dr Charlton said overseas evidence showed children who moved "prematurely" into seatbelts were at greater risk of being seriously injured in a crash, and that children in front seats were more likely to be injured than those in back seats.
"We need more definitive Australian laws on restraint use for older children, plus an extensive educational and awareness strategy," she said. "This would have a positive effect on children's appropriate restraint usage, reducing parents' uncertainty, and increasing awareness about appropriate restraint transitions."
International recommendations and legislation for restraint of older children is based on approximate age, weight and/or height measures. In the United States, recommendations state that children should be in boosters if they are 100-140 cm tall, and should only travel in seatbelts if taller than 140 cm.
"Increasingly overseas, height, rather than age or weight, is used to assess appropriateness because children's height governs the lap/shoulder belt positioning -- most child restraint manufacturers in Australia provide recommendations based on the child's weight," Dr Charlton said.
Dr Charlton said Australian legislation on child restraints was currently under review, making the MUARC study particularly timely.
The study, 'Factors that influence children's booster seat use' was commissioned by the Motor Accidents Authority of NSW and released last week. The findings included:
- 99 per cent indicated that their child was "always" restrained while travelling in the car
- Most children sat in the rear seat (70 per cent)
- Most children travelled in adult seat belts (75 per cent), the remainder in booster seats (25 per cent)
- Based on height criteria, only 42 per cent of children aged four to 11 years were 'appropriately' restrained while travelling in their vehicle.
- Children in booster seats were found to be significantly more likely to be appropriately restrained (93 per cent) compared to children travelling in an adult seat belt (25 per cent).
The report can be found on the MUARC website. Dr Judith Charlton is available for interview on +61 3 9905 1903. For further information contact MUARC Senior Media Communications Officer Ms Allison Harding on 0419 302 520.
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