Booster seat use by children aged 4–11 years: evidence of the need to revise current Australasian standards to accommodate overweight children

Zurynski, Yvonne A; Bilston, Lynne; Elliott, Elizabeth J

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb01972.x

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To the Editor: On 25 January 2008, the Australian Transport Council approved the National Transport Commission’s seventh amendment to the Australian Road Rules. This amendment provides for the mandatory use of forward-facing child restraints for children aged 6 months to 4 years, and the use of Australian Standards-approved booster seats for children aged 4–7 years and weighing up to 26 kg. It also recommends that children aged less than 7 years should not travel in the front passenger seat.

1 Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW.
2 Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
3 Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, NSW.
4 Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: apsu@chw.edu.au

1. National Transport Commission. Model Amendments Regulations 2007 (Australian Road Rules – Package No. 7). http://www.ntc.gov.au/filemedia/Reports/ARR7thAmendPackAmendRulesNov07.pdf (accessed Mar 2008).
2. Reeve KN, Zurynski YA, Elliott EJ, Bilston L. Seatbelts and the law: how well do we protect Australian children? Med J Aust 2007; 186: 635-638. <MJA full text>
3. Fitzharris MP, Charlton J, Bohensky M, et al. Booster seat use by children aged 4–11 years: evidence of the need to revise current Australasian standards to accommodate overweight children. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 328-331. <MJA full text>
4. Zurynski Y, McCaskill M, Bilston L, et al. Are all seatbelts safe? Seatbelt injuries in Australian children. J Paediatr Child Health 2007; 43: A21.

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