Parents in New South Wales are being urged to check their children’s car seats in a push to prevent serious injuries on the state’s roads.
Residents will now be able to access free installation and inspections of child restraints in a joint effort between Transurban, Kidsafe and the Salvation Army.
“This just gives parents every opportunity to make sure their littlies are safe. Don’t underestimate the impact of a car accident,” Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said.
Crash tests from the NeuRa/Transurban labs has revealed just how dangerous a poorly fitted child seat can be with demonstrations showing the child and car seat being flung forward at just 49 km/h.
“The child actually comes all the way out in the crash and can actually fly around in the car and that’s when you get really serious injuries,” Professor Lyn Bilston said.
A correctly installed child restraint will give a child a 70 per cent better chance of surviving a crash.
“With that research, and then applying it through Kidsafe and guidelines, we’re making our contribution to make sure kids are transported safely,” TransUrban Road Safety Manager Liz Waller said.
The issue it something Mr Constance knows firsthand after his child from a serious accident.
“Having pulled my four-year-old out of a head on car accident and for her to be okay … I know better than anyone, this is lifesaving stuff,” he said.
This content first appear on 9news