Keeping children as safe as possible while travelling in motor vehicles

NeuRA and Kidsafe want to see all children as safe as possible when travelling in cars. Ensuring that parents receive straightforward, consistent advice from all sources on how to keep children safe in cars is an important step in making this happen.

2021 National Guidelines

The National Guidelines for the Safe Restraint of Children Travelling in Motor Vehicles have been developed under the auspices of Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and Kidsafe The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia. They provide best practice recommendations for how to safely transport children in motor vehicles. The 2021 edition of the guidelines are a major update from the previous guidelines published in 2013.

Information for parents and carers

Keeping Children as Safe as Possible When Travelling in Cars Download PDF Brochure which includes the 5-step test.

For more detailed information on keeping children safe, including restraint choice, correct use, and other situations see: Kidsafe Car and Road Safety Resources.

Information for road safety professionals

The guideline recommendations on pages 33-79 of this document were approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) on the 27th of November 2020, under Section 14A of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992. In approving the guideline recommendations, NHMRC considers that they meet the NHMRC standard for clinical practice guidelines.

Note: The 2013 National Guidelines have been superseded by the 2021 guidelines. The 2013 documents are available on request from Professor Lynne Bilston (email: L.Bilston@neura.edu.au).

Provision of informative materials for the correct use of child restraint systems: Guide for manufacturers

Provision of informative materials for the correct use of child restraint systems: Guide for manufacturers

These guidelines aim to improve the correct use of child restraint systems by users. They are designed for child restraint manufacturers who sell child restraint systems within Australia. They offer focused evidence-based recommendations specific to the content and format of child restraint information materials including instructions, labels and videos.