A recent safety blitz by Kidsafe and Transurban found up to 90% of car seats are fitted incorrectly*.

That's why Transurban has teamed up with Kidsafe to offer free child car seat checks at Springfield, Rochedale, Wynnum and Aspley this National Road Safety Week.

Places are limited, so book your spot today to get your child car seats checked by a professional at www.transurban.com/checkmyride.

Young children are some of the most vulnerable people on our roads and making sure they have a safe car seat is one of the best ways to protect them.  

But car seats can be tricky to install and new data from Transurban sheds light on some of the common mistakes that parents and carers are making. 

Transurban teamed up with Kidsafe for a car seat safety blitz, carrying out free safety checks on over 1,000 child car seats across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in May 2023*.  

About 90% of the seats checked during Transurban’s car seat safety blitz needed adjustments or, in some cases, total reinstallation.  

Common errors that needed fixing were: 

• Loose or twisted seatbelts.  
• Rear-facing seats at incorrect angles or reclines.  
• Seatbelts or ISOFIX-compatible connectors not connected properly.  
• Incorrect harness heights. 
• Tether straps twisted or not fastened correctly to an anchor point, 
• Children sitting in the wrong seat for their age/height. 

Professional car seat fitters corrected errors in about 900 car seats as part of the Transurban program, giving hundreds of parents and carers peace of mind next time they hit the road.  

Child seat use is very high in Australia (99%^), but research shows a large portion of seats are being used in a way that could have serious consequences for children if they’re involved in a crash. What’s more, many parents and carers are making more than one mistake at a time.  

This is significant, because a correctly fitted child car seat can significantly reduce the risk of injury in an accident by up to 70%**.  

Transurban is reminding parents and carers that it’s best to get your seat fitted by a professional – not just the first time it’s installed, but every time your child progresses from one seat to the next. 

*Data collected in a sample size of over 1,000 car seats across the Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne metro area by Transurban and Kidsafe during National Road Safety Week (May 2023) 
^Neura, www.neura.edu.au/news-media/media-releases/neura-and-kidsafe-australia-release-updated-national-child-restraint-guidelines (Mar 2021)
~Transurban Road Safety Centre at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) , www.transurban.com/news/car-seat-installation (Jul 2021)
**Neura, www.neura.edu.au/news/safely-packed-kids/ (Dec 2017)