Back seat baby capsule and booster seats will soon be mandatory for Victorian children under the age of seven. The laws will be introduced all aver Australia in November, when children aged under seven will be banned from riding in the front seat, as reported by drive.com.au.
Roads Minister Tim Pallas said that almost 300 children aged under seven were killed or injured on Victorian roads every year and that the number of child deaths and serious injuries in car accidents could be reduced by as much as two-thirds with the help of the new laws.
"This is an obligation that we all must share, it's about protecting our most vulnerable road users and of course those which we value the most - our children," Pallas said. "These measures are modest, necessary and they will have a dramatic effect upon the well-being of children travelling in cars."
Under the nationwide laws, babies aged under six months will have to be restrained in a rear-facing infant capsule. Children aged up to four years will have to be secured in forward-facing child seats with a five-point harness and then into a booster seat until they are seven.
Children under four years of age will be allowed to travel in the front seat only if the vehicle has no back seat, while those aged between four and seven only if all the back seats are occupied by younger children. Parents who break the nationwide laws regarding child safety in cars will risk a $255 fine and three demerit points.
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