Samenvatting
In Western Australia the age above which motor car occupants are required to use an adult safety belt, or other suitable restraint, if one is available, has been lowered from 5 years to 1 year. The driver is responsible for ensuring that child passengers use available restraints. The report details a safety campaign carried out after the change intended to increase restraint usage. Observations of restraint usage by children were made outside four metropolitan shopping centres prior to the change, 2 weeks after and again 9 months after. The proportion of 1 - 4 year old children using a restraint was found to have increased to 73% following the change in the law. This usage was found to have dropped to 69% when measured some 9 months later.