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The RAA Child Safety Centre checks thousands of child restraints a year and their data shows around 88% have some form of problem – from unsafe installation to twisted straps – with many having multiple issues.
Tragically 151 children passengers aged between 0-15 were seriously injured on SA roads between 2022-2025 – with road crashes the leading cause of death for the same age group.
Among these, 24 children were not appropriately restrained, including nine who were completely unrestrained. Half of these 24 children were aged 7-12 and were in adult seats despite being under the 145cm height threshold, and therefore should have been restrained in an approved child restraint.
Research shows that an adult lap-sash seatbelt will not generally fit a child properly until they are at least 145cm tall, often around 10 to 12 years of age.
RAA Senior Manager Road Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain said every child who gets in a car deserves to get out of it safely – and that starts with a correctly fitted restraint.
“The fact that nearly nine in 10 restraints we check have some form of issue tells us this isn’t an isolated problem – it’s widespread, and we need to treat it with the urgency it deserves,” Mr Mountain said.
“Behind every one of those 151 seriously injured children is a family that has been forever changed by a crash, and in many cases, a properly fitted restraint could have made all the difference.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re driving around the block or across the state, a child who isn’t correctly restrained is at serious risk every time they get in a vehicle.
“What particularly concerns us is that half of the unrestrained children involved in fatal crashes were aged seven to twelve and sitting in adult seats – at that age, a seatbelt alone simply doesn’t provide the protection a child needs.
“We know parents want to do the right thing – the challenge is that fitting a child restraint correctly isn’t always intuitive. That’s exactly why RAA’s Child Safety Centre exists, and we’d encourage every parent and carer to make use of it.”
RAA’s Child Safety Centre experts will be at the PBC Expo at Wayville Showground between the 2-3 May and can guide new or expecting parents through a number of options, including:
RAA members will receive 50% off adult tickets to Australia’s largest baby expo, while children enter free.
For more information visit: PBC BABY Expo – RAA member discount | RAA/Child restraint fitting – Book a car seat fitting with us | RAA
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