Child car restraint fitting and checking program
Do you have a question about the Safe Seats, Safe Kids program, need some help, or just need some child car restraint advice?
Check out our FAQs below.
Yes, you are welcome to bring another person (such as a partner, grandparent or friend) to the appointment. Please note however that the person who makes the booking will remain the primary contact for all communications, reminders and the final inspection report.
We recommend attending at your specific time slot. The fitters are usually booked back-to-back. If you arrive early, we cannot guarantee you will be seen until your appointment time and parking is limited for waiting vehicles.
To ensure your details are kept secure and private, all bookings must be made by the user through our online portal. If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please try clearing your browser cookies or using a different device.
We strongly encourage you to bring your child/ren. While a fitting or safety check can be done without them, having your child present allows the fitter to adjust the harness of the child car restraint correctly to their body in relation to the shoulder height markers.
The fitters are usually booked back-to-back, so we strongly recommend booking in advance to ensure your child’s car restraint or booster seat can be checked.
No, fitting the child car restraint is not a prerequisite to book an appointment. While we encourage parents to try and fit their child car restraint before the appointment to learn about your restraint, the fitters are happy to perform the fitting from start to finish for anyone who is unable to do so themselves.
We generally recommend using only accessories that have been tested with your specific child car restraint. Seat protectors designed solely for use with child car restraints can be used. Thick or padded seat protectors, towels or blankets can interfere with the fitting. Fitters can assess your specific protector during the appointment to ensure it isn’t compromising the safety of the fit.
If you need a child car restraint fitting urgently, we recommend finding your closest accredited child car restraint fitter through our Find a Fitter network. These accredited fitters are the same professionals at our Safe Seats Safe Kids events.
Please note that a fee is charged for these appointments (typically $45–$55), and mobile fittings are available. This is also often the best option for those with a newborn who are nearing their hospital discharge date.
Minor errors on your booking form, such as a typo in your car model, do not require you to cancel and re-book. You can simply inform the professional fitter when you arrive for your appointment, and they will manually update the information before finalising your digital inspection report.
If you believe you have input your email address or phone number incorrectly, please contact us at safeseatssafekids@kidsafevic.com.au so we can ensure you receive any relevant updates or reminder notifications.
Where possible, we announce all upcoming events 30 days in advance. Future dates depend on venue availability. If you don’t see an event scheduled in your area within the next month, we recommend booking an appointment through our Find a Fitter network (fees apply) to ensure your child’s travelling safely, instead of waiting for a potential future event.
Photos included in your inspection report are for auditing purposes and your personal record only. We do not use these images for our educational materials unless you have agreed for them to be used during your appointment.. If you wish to have a specific photo removed from our educational materials, please contact us.
Unfortunately, we cannot manage or change appointment times via email. The fitters work to a strict schedule based on the bookings in the portal. If you arrive an hour early, you will need to wait until your scheduled time, and we can only see you earlier if there is a sudden cancellation on-site, which is not guaranteed.
If you know well in advance you cannot make your scheduled time, we recommend that you reschedule your appointment via the online booking system.
No, our inspection reports are for personal use and do not serve as commercial compliance certificates. For business or audit requirements, you should engage a professional fitter via the Find a Fitter website to receive the necessary compliance documentation.
The terms are used interchangeably within our program. Whether your notification says “check” or “fitting”, the service is the same: an accredited fitter will inspect your current fitting and, if necessary, refit or adjust the child car restraint correctly to ensure your little one travels safely.
If a location isn’t showing, it means there is no event currently scheduled there. We recommend checking nearby suburbs or logging in at a later date, as new events are added regularly.
On the day of the event, marshalling is usually done by vehicle registration. Please let the staff know that your vehicle has changed since booking, and they will use your appointment time to find your booking instead.
The accredited fitter can manually update your vehicle details on the digital report during your appointment – just attend in the vehicle you need the child car restraint fitted in.
The majority of our Safe Seats Safe Kids events are held on weekdays during business hours. Weekend sessions are rare and usually occur as part of specific one-off community events. If you require a weekend appointment, we suggest using the Find a Fitter directory to locate a professional fitter who offers weekend or mobile services.
You are only successfully registered once you reach the ‘You are scheduled’ confirmation page and receive an automated email. If the system flags incomplete fields, your registration has not been processed.
If you have multiple vehicles, each vehicle requires its own dedicated appointment/s to ensure the fitter has adequate time to check or conduct the fitting in each car.
You cannot split a single appointment – even one with a longer duration – across multiple vehicles.
You must book a long enough time slot to cover every child car restraint you need checked inside the same vehicle.
Appointment durations vary based on how many restraints you need fitted or checked. At the time of booking, you will have an option to book for 1, 2 or 3 child car restraints, with 1 restraint being the shortest duration and 3 restraints being the longest.
Please book for the exact number of child car restraints you need fitted, so there’s enough time to fit or check each restraint. If you book an appointment shorter than you need, we may not be able to accommodate extra restraints as this would cause delays for the next family.
On the flip side, please do not ‘overbook’ by booking a longer appointment than needed, so that we can use the time to help as many families as possible.
If you don’t know which vehicle you’ll be bringing on the day, please input ‘NO REGO’ when booking. If you also do not know what the vehicle’s make and model will be, please simply choose the first option for each.
On the day of the event, marshalling is usually done by vehicle registration. Please let the staff know that your registration was unknown at the time of booking, and they will use your appointment time to find your booking instead.
During your appointment, the accredited fitter can manually update your vehicle details on the digital report – just attend in the vehicle you need the child car restraint fitted in.
Because our program is highly popular, sessions often book out weeks in advance. If you cannot find an appointment before your due date, we strongly recommend booking a private appointment through our Find a Fitter network to ensure your baby can travel home from the hospital safely.
If an event isn’t showing any available time slots, it means it is currently booked out. There are often cancellations, so we recommend checking back regularly to see if a slot becomes available. Because our system is automated, any cancellations are instantly made available again in the booking system for someone else to book.
First, please check your Junk or Spam folders. If you cannot find the email, the booking may not have been finalised or there was an error in your email address. Contact us and we can search for your booking by your name and resend the confirmation.
A standard bath towel is occasionally needed to achieve the correct recline angle on a rear facing child car restraint or capsule if the vehicle seats are too steep. Having one ready helps the fitter ensure the safest rear facing recline for your little one.
Please verify the address in your confirmation email and look for directional signage to the correct location. Safe Seats Safe Kids events are held in large car parks. If you cannot find the team, check your notifications for any weather-related cancellations.
If your vehicle has only one row of seats (e.g. a ute), you may be able to use a child car restraint or booster seat in the front seat.
The front seat needs to have a working adult seatbelt to be used with the restraint and an anchorage point to connect the top tether strap. Type 2 child car restraint fitters can install an anchorage point if you don’t have one in your vehicle.
Rear-facing child car restraints cannot be used in the front seat.
No. All child car restraints used in Australia must comply with Australian Standard AS/NZ 1754. All child car restraints purchased overseas – including those with ISOFIX – do not meet this specific standard and are illegal to use on Australian roads.
A ‘bus’ is defined as a motor vehicle which has more than 12 seats (including the driver).
If the vehicle has 12 or fewer seats (including the driver’s seat), then any children under 7 years of age must use an appropriate child car restraint or booster seat.
If a bus has more than 12 seats (including the driver’s seat), children are not required to use child car restraints or booster seats.
However, it is recommended that children are placed in a child car restraint that is appropriate for their age and size wherever possible.
ISOFIX compatible child car restraints can be purchased at all major Australian retailers. ISOFIX child car restraints are only available on restraints suitable for children aged birth to 4 years. The fitters can assist with the fitting of ISOFIX child car restraints during your scheduled appointment.
If space is insufficient in the back, a child who is over the age of 4 years and meets the entry shoulder height markers of a booster seat can legally sit in the front. You must use a booster manufactured without a top tether strap (since front seats lack anchor points) and push the passenger seat as far back as possible.
Fitting three restraints across a back seat can be tricky depending on your vehicle and the child car restraint models you are currently using. Kidsafe Victoria recommends trialling different configurations to see what fits best. We recommend booking a specific ‘3 child car restraint’ appointment with the professional fitters for assistance, guidance and recommendations.
You should consult your child’s healthcare professional, such as an Occupational Therapist (OT). Kidsafe Victoria can then work with your OT through our Seat Me Safely: Mobility and Disability Services program to help find a solution that meets your child’s specific requirements.
The rules for the use of child car restraints in Taxis is slightly different from the rules for privately owned vehicles, rideshare services, and hired vehicles.
The Victorian child restraint road rules do not require taxi drivers to provide child restraints or booster seats for customers. However, the road rules do require taxi drivers to ensure there is at least one anchor fitting ready for passengers who wish to supply their own restraint.
The Victorian child restraint road rules require that in taxis:
For example, if your child must be seated rear-facing in a private vehicle in Australia, they must be seated rear-facing in a rideshare vehicle.
Some rideshare services offer the use of a child car restraint in their vehicle – if you are to book this service, you must ensure it is the correct and appropriate child car restraint for your child’s age and size.
If using or hiring your own child car restraint, ask the driver or check if the vehicle you are booking a ride with is compatible with the attachments of the child car restraint you plan to use.
Hiring a vehicle in Australia:
Vehicles for hire in Australia are not exempt from complying with the standard If Victorian child car restraint road rules – the same child car restraint road rules apply to hired vehicles as a privately-owned car in Australia
For example, if your child must be seated rear-facing in a private vehicle in Australia, they must be seated rear-facing in a hired vehicle.
Check if the vehicle you are hiring is compatible with the attachments of the child car restraint you plan to use.
Victorian rules allow children aged 7 and over to sit in the front seat, however, the risk of injury for children aged 12 and under is nearly doubled in the front seat due to airbags and impact zones. Kidsafe recommends all children aged 12 and under sit in the back row of the vehicle.
The Victorian road rules do not require taxi drivers to provide child car restraints or booster seats for customers. However, the road rules do require taxi drivers to ensure there is at least one anchor fitting ready for passengers who wish to supply their own child car restraint.
The Victorian child car restraint road rules require that in taxis:
Kidsafe Victoria recommends taking your child’s car restraint with you when travelling in a taxi if possible.
However, rideshare services like Uber are not exempt from complying with the Victorian child car restraint road rules – the same child car restraint road rules apply to rideshare services as private cars.
For example, if your child must be seated rear-facing in your vehicle, they must be seated rear-facing in a rideshare vehicle.
Children aged 4 to 7 years must use either a forward-facing restraint with an in-built harness or a booster seat with an adult seatbelt. They should only move to a booster seat once they have reached the maximum size limit (as shown by the shoulder height markers on the child car restraint) of their forward-facing restraint with an in-built harness.
Children in this age group must use either a rearward- or forward-facing restraint with an in-built harness. It is strongly recommended children stay rear facing until they reach the maximum size limit of the restraint (as shown by the shoulder height markers on the child car restraint) as it protects the head and neck from serious injury in a collision.
Children under 6 months must use a rearward-facing restraint that is properly fitted and adjusted to their size. They must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle.
To help make sure your child is travelling safely, it’s important that they are travelling in a child car restraint that is the right one for their size, is installed correctly, and that it’s properly adjusted and fastened to fit them on every trip.
Best practice guidelines recommend that child car restraints that have been involved in moderate to severe crashes should not be re-used (even if damage to the restraint is not visible), and should be disposed of in a way that ensures they cannot be reused.
This includes any crash where the car has had to be towed away, or any person was seriously injured.
Your car insurance may cover the cost of replacing your child car restraint. Contact your insurance company for more information. They may require you to keep the restraint for assessment, but do not use it after a crash.
Child car restraint manufacturers typically provide accident notices that are freely available to pass along to insurance companies – these are often found on the manufacturer’s website.
If your child has exceeded the maximum size limit of their current child car restraint, before reaching for the next stage, you should always check for other restraints on the market. There are now child car restraints and booster seats designed for above average children that allow them to stay in their current restraint type for longer.
It’s important to remember that the laws outline the minimum requirements for children when travelling in the car. Evidence shows that there is more that can be done above and beyond these minimum requirements to help keep children safe.
Under 6 months: Children under 6 months must use a rearward-facing restraint that is properly fitted and adjusted. They must not travel in the front seat of a vehicle that has two or more rows of seats.
6 months to 4 years: Children 6 months to 4 years must use either a rearward- or forward-facing restraint with an in-built harness. It is strongly recommended children remain rear facing until they reach the maximum size limit of the restraint (as shown by the shoulder height markers on the child car restraint) as it protects the head and neck from serious injury in a collision.
4 to 7 years: Children aged 4 to 7 years must use either a forward-facing restraint with an in-built harness or a booster seat with an adult seatbelt. Children should only move to a booster seat once they have reached the maximum size limit (as shown by the shoulder height markers on the child car restraint) of their forward-facing restraint with an in-built harness.
Over 7 years: Children aged 7 and over are recommended to stay in a booster seat until they reach the maximum size limit of the booster (as shown by the shoulder height markers on the child car restraint) and can pass the 5-step test to ensure they are ready to be seated with an adult seatbelt only.
It is recommended children stay in a booster seat until they reach the maximum size limit of the booster (as shown by the shoulder height markers on the child car restraint) and can pass the 5-step test to ensure they are ready to be seated with an adult seatbelt only.
