Table 1 Restraint use for children aged ⩽12 years seated in the front seat of urban passenger vehicles (n = 1643) based on road-side observations*.
| Restraint type | FFCR or BPB, n (%)† | Adult seat belt n (%) | No restraint, n (%)‡ | Total, n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | ||||
| 0–6 months | — | — | — | — |
| 7 months–2 years | — | 1 (33.3) | 2 (66.7) | 3 (100) |
| 3–6 years | 6 (7.7) | 65 (83.3) | 7 (9.0) | 78 (100) |
| 7–10 years | — | 433 (96.9) | 14 (3.1) | 447 (100) |
| 11–12 years | — | 274 (96.5) | 10 (3.5) | 284 (100) |
| Total | 6 | 773 | 33 | 812 |
BPB, belt positioning booster; FFCR, forward facing child restraints
*Only those vehicles with rear seats were included. Only those vehicles with no adult or teenaged passengers occupying the front passenger seat were included. Child age was estimated based on seated height.
†Top-tethered FFCR suitable for children of 8–18 kg (18–40 lbs) and BPB seats could not be distinguished from each other and were grouped together.
‡For 22 children (3% of front-seated children), restraint status could not be determined. These have been grouped with “no restraint” as Australian vehicles are required to have lap-sash belts fitted in the front outer passenger position and thus children could not have been wearing lap-only belts.