by Sarah Oliver
In a global-first program, the Victorian government is crash testing specialised child restraints used by children with disabilities and medical conditions to raise awareness on their safety performance.
Nine special purpose child restraints imported and sold in Australia will undergo frontal and side impact crash tests at the Britax Childcare Crash Test Facility Laboratory in Melbourne’s west as part of the Australian Safety Assessment Program (AuSAP).
In a statement, the state government said regular child restraints sold in Australia are held to very high safety standards, but that families of children with disabilities and medical conditions have not had access to the same level of information on child restraint safety.
Mobility and Accessibility for Children in Australia Ltd (MACA) has launched AuSAP with funding from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and in-kind support from Britax Childcare and Neuroscience Research Australia.
The testing program will provide the first national information about the safety and performance of special purpose child restraints for children with disabilities and medical conditions.
Roads Minister Ben Carroll said: “Choosing the most appropriate vehicle restraint, based on the individual needs of the child, is the first step in supporting a child’s safety.”
“This program is the first of its kind globally and will give Victorians greater knowledge and options on how best to protect their loved ones.”
Transport Accident Commission Chief Officer Joe Calafiore said: “Child passengers put their lives in our hands every time we get behind the wheel, and it’s critical that we continue to invest in projects like this for their safety, especially when the unexpected happens on the road.”
