NEW child restraint laws have been slammed for not taking into account the restrictions they place on families relying on a ute to get around.
But the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) say a single cab ute is not considered a family car.
The new national child restraint laws came into effect in NSW on March 1 and require all children under seven years of age to be secured in an approved child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a vehicle, including single-cab utes.
Kathleen Gamble said the new laws place an unfair burden on farming families and trades people.
“I can appreciate the laws are about safety but no parent would put their children in a situation where they are at risk,” Mrs Gamble said.
“It is just not practical or safe to expect a grown man to squeeze into a single cab ute with two young children in booster seats, it is uncomfortable and, in my mind, unsafe.
“I am all for laws to ensure safety but a law is only good if it works.”
With two children, Erin, 5, and Owen, 10, Mrs Gamble said she often relies on her husband, Paul, to get them to school on his way to work in his ute.
“If these laws do become permanent this is just logistically not going to work,” she said.
“In a country area like the Southern Highlands we are not going to be the only ones affected, and I really don’t think most people are aware of the impact these laws will have and that there is no exception made for utes.”
Mrs Gamble has already raised her concerns with State MP Pru Goward, the RTA and local police in the hope she can have the laws quashed before the transitional phase ends on June 30.
“I really want to get a petition started because I think locals need to be made aware and hopefully we can stop these laws before they become permanent,” Mrs Gamble said.
Under the new laws, all children up to the age of seven years must be correctly restrained in an approved child restraint, suitable for their size and age.
All children under four years must be transported in the rear seat of a motor vehicle with two or more rows.
A child between the ages of four and seven can only travel in the front passenger seat of a vehicle if all available seating positions in the rear seat have been occupied by a child under four years in a child restraint.
An RTA spokesperson said drivers of vehicles like utes and vans who do not have enough room for children to travel safely and legally in child restraints should not transport those children.
“A single cab ute is a vehicle generally used to transport up to two people and would not generally be considered to be a ‘family car’,” the spokesperson said.
The RTA spokesperson said for single cab utes (utes with one row of seats) children of any age can be transported in the front seat as long as they are in a child restraint or booster seat that is suitable for their age.
The restraints that are required for children under four years of age need to be anchored. Anchors can be installed at a restraint fitting station if the ute is not fitted with one.
A child in a rearward facing restraint should not be placed in the front a vehicle where there is an air bag.
“Motorists have an obligation to ensure that all passengers and especially children are safely and legally restrained,” the RTA spokesperson said.
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