NSW New child restraint laws are coming!

On 4 November 2009, former NSW Premier Nathan Rees and Minister for Transport David Campbell announced the introduction of new child restraint laws for children up to seven years of age.

Summary of changes

From 1 March 2010:

• All children up to seven years of age must be secured in a child restraint.
• Babies up to the age of 6 months must be restrained in the rearward-facing restraint.
• For young children from 6 months to 1 year of age a rearward or forward facing restraint must be used.
• From 1 to 4 years of age the child must be restrained in a forward facing restraint.
• From 4 years to 7 years of age, a booster seat must be used.

My thoughts ... I was very surprised when I read about these changes and then investigated what our current laws are on child restraints. Really there aren't any. It is more about recommendations than requirements. So I agree with the principal of what they are trying to achieve ... however not the application. Why? Doing it my age rather than by weight means that children outside of the "normal" age/weight ranges are not catered for. How is this? All baby restraints are recommended to be used by weight. Reverse facing car capsules go up to about 9kgs (dependent on brand and model), reverse facing convertible child restraints (up to 12kgs) and booster seats up to 26kgs. So in order to be both compliant with the law and the recommendations from the manufacturers it can be alittle tricky. For example my children are very tall/long for their age and their weight is appropriate for their height. While I can move my 3 month old daughter from the car capsule to the reverse facing convertible child restraint I have and keep her reverse facing until she is 6 months old, it is harder when they both reach the other end of the scale. Based on their height and weight percentiles they are expected to reach 26kgs before they are 7 (probably between 5 and 6) and will therefore be too big for the restraints and yet not old enough to be in a car without one. I just hope that I have missed something in my reading and that the government has the foresight to write the law so that it caters for all .. and doesn't discriminate against my children because they are tall.