Buckle up Restraint Fitting Training – Your Children Our Future

Child restraints are designed as accessories to be used to provide protection for children in the event of car accidents. They provide protection normally over and above that provided by the manufacturer for young vehicle occupants. Children will get this high level of protection only if the child restraint is installed and used correctly. Incorrect installation can and does reduce the performance causing serious injury or death to a child.

Choosing and using child restraints can be quite difficult, fitting can be even more so. This is reflected by the number of studies as well as restraint fitment days which have shown an alarming 9 out of 10 vehicles restraints were found to be incorrectly fitted. The only way a restraint can work effectively is if it is fitted to the car in the manner designed by the manufacturer, and that can only be done by an RTA approved Restraint installer.

The Children?s Hospital at Westmead admitted more than 26,697 children for treatment; it provided 626,239 treatments and consultation for children in outpatients and performed 13,561 operations, with the emergency department treating almost 40,037 every year. If ever there was a target audience in which to change and promote the correct use of occupant restraints, their proper use and fitment and increase awareness it should and would be here.

The development of this project enabled Parramatta city council an opportunity to join in partnership and support with Kids health and the Children?s Hospital at Westmead. This active co operation of key stakeholders from a community development prospective has combined to train 20 selected hospital and allied health staff in the correct installation and checking of child restraints in cars and pass their knowledge on to parents of patients, other staff members and other stakeholders.