Child Car Restraint Law Changes: A Kidsafe WA Experience
Keywords: Road Safety Programs
ARSRPE
Submission Date: 2011
Abstract
In 2010, Australia underwent significant changes in road traffic legislation for child passengers as described in the 7th Amendment Package to the National Road Rules. The new regulations were implemented in WA on 1 October 2010. While parents were the primary target for communication strategies and public awareness campaigns about the changes, there were significant implications for key stakeholder groups such as child care service providers, schools, government agency employees and other professionals who transported children as part of their job. While these professional groups were included in the State government communication strategy, the implications of these changes in relation to the number of children to be transported and the vehicles used were more complex. Kidsafe WA identified the significant need for more detailed information for these groups and was funded by the WA Department of Health to assist these groups to prepare for compliance with the new legislation. This paper will outline the strategies undertaken by Kidsafe WA to communicate the changes to professional stakeholder groups and service providers who transport children under the age of 7 years as part of their job role. It will also include a comparison between the results of a pre and post legislation implementation survey and how the survey results influenced the project activities and the ongoing support services offered by Kidsafe WA to the target group.