Children aged between 7 and 16 are required to use a booster seat or adult seat belt when travelling in a vehicle. Find out which is safest for your child.
Child restraints and the law
In Victoria, children under seven years of age must be restrained in an approved child restraint or approved booster seat when travelling in a motor vehicle. Children over seven years of age and under 16 years must be restrained in a booster seat or adult seatbelt.
Suitable child car restraint
Children aged between 6 months and 4 years must use either a rear-facing child car seat or a forward-facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness. Children aged between 4 and 7 years must use a forward‑facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness or an approved booster seat.
Children aged 7 years and over can travel in the front seat. However, research shows that children under 12 years are much safer travelling in the back seat.
Moving into a booster seat
To be safest in a crash, your child needs to be in a booster seat until they are at least 145 cm tall and can pass the five-step safety test (see below). On average, Australian children will not reach a height of 145 cm until about 11 years of age.
Currently booster cushions fall under the Group 2/3 car seat category, meaning they can be used from around 4-years-old. The new extension recommends children use backless boosters once they are 125cm or taller, which is roughly about 7-years-old.
Children aged between 7 and 16 are required to use a booster seat or adult seat belt when travelling in a vehicle.
Children 4 through 7 years and less than 80 pounds or 57 inches tall require a car seat or booster seat. Adult seat belts are allowed for children at 8 years old; children ages 4 through 7 and more than 80 pounds or 57 inches tall may also use adult seat belts.
There is no specific law in Victoria that says what age children can be left alone. Victorian law is clear however, that it is a parent's responsibility to ensure that their children are appropriately and safely cared for.
While using a backless booster seat or booster cushion is legal if it met Australian standards at the time it was manufactured, experts strongly advise against them. In Australia, all child restraints and car seats bought, sold or used must meet Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 1754.
Children 7 years and over can sit in the front seat.
Not before age 2.
Rather than basing your switch on the calendar, do so only when your child reaches the maximum height or weight limit for the rear-facing position of her convertible seat. For many, this doesn't happen until age 3 or 4.
A high-backed booster to backless booster may have tethers to clip it to the LATCH anchors in your car. This is not necessary for using the booster seat, but it might be convenient to have your booster seat held in one place. If you're not using LATCH, you can set the booster in the seat where your child will sit.
What age can my child travel in the front seat? The Victorian road rules allow children aged 7 years and over to travel in the front seat. However, research shows that the injury risk to children aged 12 and under is nearly double in the front seat compared to the back seat.
Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats. All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly.
Leaving children home alone: Australian laws
There's no one law in Australia that says how old children must be before you can leave them home alone. Even if your child is OK to be home alone, you're still legally responsible for their safety and care.
Once you turn 16, you won't normally be forced to return home by the authorities as long as you've got a safe place to go and you can financially support yourself. If you're under 18 and leave home, the police and Child Safety may investigate the reasons why you left home.
The Victorian Child Protection Service is specifically targeted to support those children and young people at risk of harm or where families are unable to protect them. The main functions of Child Protection are to: Investigate matters where it is alleged that a child is at risk of significant harm.
Sometimes it's because they're worried or anxious about something. Other times, they're excited about an event that's coming up soon, like a birthday or a trip to the toy store. They might also be tired or hungry. When kids often have trouble sitting still, hyperactivity is a common cause.
On average, children are able to sit at the table for 2 to 5 minutes per year of life. For example, a 3-year-old can sit still for 6 to 15 minutes, a 5-year-old can sit still for 10 to 25 minutes, and by around age 7, children can sit still for about 15 to 35 minutes.
Most families will use three different seats as their child grows: an infant seat, a convertible seat, and a booster seat.
Can my child travel in an Uber alone? No. All children must be accompanied by an adult (parent, guardian or caregiver) at all times. Driver-partners also have the right to refuse to transport riders who look under 18 years old and are not accompanied by an adult.
In taxis: children aged under 1 year must travel in the back seat, but do not have to use a child restraint. children aged 1 year and over must be in their own seat, with their own properly fastened seatbelt if there is no child restraint or booster seat available.