Can a Car Seat Go in the Middle Australia

The safest place for your child to sit in a car is in a correctly fitted child restraint in the back seat.

It's illegal for a child under four to sit in the front seat of a car with two rows or more.

A child between the ages of four and seven can only sit in the front seat if all back seats are occupied by younger children.

A child older than seven may sit in the front seat, but road safety experts recommend that your child sits in the back seat until he's at least 12. This is because the injury risk to a child under 12 is much higher in the front seat compared to the back seat, regardless of the type of restraint used.

There isn't strong enough evidence, though, to support where in the back seat your child's car restraint should be placed.

If you have one child, the middle seat in the back is probably the safest position, because your child is less likely to be hurt if your car is involved in a side-impact collision. Side-impact crashes account for one in four injuries from car accidents and about a quarter of deaths from accidents.

There's very little evidence, however, to show that the centre rear position would make a difference if you were involved in a crash at the front or rear of your car.

From a practical perspective, the curbside rear seat (behind the front passenger seat) can be easier – and safer – for parents to get children in and out of the car. Some child restraints are also too wide for the middle back seat so the curbside seat is the next best option.

When you have more than one child, it gets trickier. If possible, use the centre and curbside seats together. This won't always work with wide car restraints in smaller cars, though. It may also be difficult for you to have to lean over one seat to get to the middle seat.

With two children, it's really about what works best for you as a parent. Think about the type of travel you do, how you get your children in and out of the car and your children's temperaments. If your toddler is likely to wander off while you're strapping in another child, perhaps he should be in a curbside seat so he's always first in and last out.

Here are some tips from the national child restraint guidelines:

• If your forward or rearward-facing seats need anchorage points or a top tether, prioritise the position of these seats over booster seats.
• Prioritise the lap-sash seatbelt for booster seats, and make sure the seatbelt buckle is easily accessible.
• Where possible, allow as many children as possible to enter and exit the car from the curb side.
• Consider how easy it is see your children in the back while you're driving. Turning around to see or talk to them is distracting and can lead to accidents.

Find out more about car seat laws.

Can a Car Seat Go in the Middle Australia

Source: https://www.babycenter.com.au/x25010913/which-is-the-safest-position-for-my-childs-car-seat-to-be-in#:~:text=There%20isn't%20strong%20enough,in%20a%20side%2Dimpact%20collision.

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