In South Australia, a child is no longer required to sit in a car seat once they turn seven years old, provided they’re able to wear a seatbelt correctly fastened and adjusted. But while not having to rely on a car seat may be convenient for families with two cars, grandparents who help with school drop-offs or exciting for children who feel ‘grown-up’, it’s not as simple as ditching the seat the day they turn seven. We explain why.

The stats

Experts agree child restraints reduce the likelihood of severe injury by up to 70% in a crash. In fact, children who are strapped in using a seatbelt before it properly fits them are twice as likely to suffer serious injuries in a crash.

Are you ready to ditch the seat?

RAA Child Safety expert, Belinda Maloney, says if a seatbelt doesn’t properly fit a child, they should continue to use an approved child restraint regardless of their age.

“A seven-year-old is only allowed out of a child restraint if they are able to wear the seatbelt correctly adjusted, which most can’t,” Ms Maloney says.

“Seatbelts are designed for adults, so a good seatbelt fit is not achieved until the child is more ‘adult sized’.

“Bear in mind that seatbelt fit varies from vehicle-to-vehicle.”

How to check if your child is ready

1. Does the sash part of the seatbelt sit on the middle of the shoulder and not touch the neck or face?

2. Does the part of the seatbelt sit low down on the hips and not on the abdomen?

3. Position your child on the seat with their bottom all the way back and see if their legs are long enough for their knees to bend, allowing their legs to hang over the front of the seat?

If you answered no to any of the points above, then they are not ready to move out of their child restraint.

Time for change

RAA has lobbied for changes to child restraints regulations, including raising the age from seven or using the child’s height as an indicator that it’s time to move out of the car seat.

“A child doesn’t usually start to fit an adult seatbelt properly until they’re 145cm tall, which is the average height of a 10 to 12-year-old,” Ms Maloney says.

While the law states children seven years and older are legally able to sit in the front passenger seat if they’re properly restrained, RAA advises the child to be at least 12 years old.

“Vehicle manufacturers warn against children being in the front under the age of 12 and these warnings should be followed,” Ms Maloney says.

“Car seats with a top tether aren’t suitable for a front seat as there isn’t an anchor point, so keep the kids in the back seat until they can wear the adult seatbelt correctly.”

Final word

Think you can get around the law simply by telling police your child is seven if you get pulled over? Think again.

“Police are well within the law to give an expiation to an adult where they feel the child isn’t safely restrained by an adult seatbelt,” Ms Maloney says.

If your child isn’t properly restrained, you risk a $395 fine plus a $92 Victims of Crime (VOC) levy with 3 demerit points, or $467 and a $92 VOC for more than one child not restrained correctly with 5 demerit points.

Tragically, the consequences can be much worse than a fine in some circumstances.