The Roads and Traffic Authority, the NRMA Ltd and the Australian Consumers' Association (ACA) conducted the first stage of an ongoing joint program to provide consumers with information which will enable them to make an informed choice when purchasing a child restraint system (CRS). This should allow market forces to bring about consumer driven improvements to CRS design. CRS's were examined for their: (1) Performance in crash tests which were more rigorous than the Australian Standards tests; (2) Ease of installation and ease of use; and (3) Compatibility with a represntative range of popular motor vehicles. Twenty-two CRS's were evaluated. These included dedicated rearward facing infant restraints, dedicated forward facing child seats, convertibles (CRS's which convert from rearward facing infant restraints to forward facing child seats), booster seats (with back and sides), and booster cushions (backless). At the conclusion of the program, the results were presented in a national subscription consumer magazine with advice to consumers as to what to buy. Wider consumer access was arranged through a brochure in which a CRS was given a Preferred Buy rating if it performed well in all the crash tests and scored well for ease of correct installation and for ease of use. (A)
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