Child Car Seat Safety Issue.

There is an old adage which aptly applies to the average handyperson doing any sort of installation job.  "  When all else fails, read the instructions  " !    Sadly, most car seats used to protect infants and toddlers in cars in Australia are installed by their parents and about fifty percent get it wrong.

The World Health Organization says correctly installed  and used child restraints reduced deaths amongst infants by about 70 percent and among small children by  54 to 80 percent.   A child is three times more likely to die or be seriously injured if their car seat has been used incorrectly. This situation came to the attention of Neuroscience Research Australia.

Associate Professor Julie Brown of Neuroscience Research Australia undertook a study of the various car seats on the market and developed refined installation instructions by testing them on parents and users, instead of relying on the instructions provided at point of sale which had been developed by experts and committees.

The end result was a single A3 sheet of step-by-step instructions.  Each step had pictograms and a matching QR code that took users to a video.   Research also developed swing tags that hang on the seat so parents, carers and grandparents could refer to them ever time they put a child in the vehicle.    It was found that this reduced errors by twenty-seven percent.

Child safety seats are an expensive item and they are required by law whenever a child is being carried in a motor vehicle.  It is vitally important that the way it is installed allows those protective features to do their job and it is helpful if the step by step instructions are something that the average person can comfortably handle.   The failure rate discovered in car seats in use indicates that is not happening.

These simplified installation instructions will certainly help, but perhaps the government may need to  take a more interventionist stance.   It would be helpful if those annual registration car checks included a requirement that when a car seat is fitted its proper installation be part of that inspection and certification.

It is unlikely that most parents are aware that the safety seat they have installed is failing to fully protect their child.   They have probably installed it to the best of their ability and consider it safe.
This opens the door for car servicing outlets to provide an installation service which will be worth the few dollars it costs to relieve parents worry that their child is safe.   Such a service would need to be readily available at short notice and hopefully available in most suburbs.   The reason most parents try self installation is the unavailability of such an option.

Few parents would be indifferent to the safety of their child.  The vast majority with a badly installed car safety seat are blissfully unaware of the danger.    They buy a seat with a proven safety rating and expect it to do the job.    The fact that about fifty percent are believed to have a defect in installation is sufficient reason to amend the regulations that apply.