25/06/2026
⚡️The Law vs. Best Practice when it comes to Kids from 7. ⚡️
The Legal Baseline: The Australian Road Rules dictate child restraint choices by age up until 7. From age 7 to 16, a child must be properly restrained, but that restraint can legally be an approved booster seat or a properly adjusted adult seatbelt. Note how it says here, properly adjusted.
The standard seatbelt was designed using metrics based primarily on the "average man" from the 1970s (specifically a 78kg, 175cm male dummy called the Hybrid III), hence why when it comes to us women, sometimes the seat belt is not great fit for us.
The Physical Reality: Adult lap-sash seatbelts are engineered and crash-tested for bodies that are at least 145cm, with bones that aren't still in the process of ossifying. The average Australian child doesn't actually hit 145cm until they are between 10 and 12 years old.
If a child under 145cm uses an adult seatbelt alone, the lap belt tends to ride up over their vulnerable abdomen rather than sitting low on their strong pelvic bones, and the sash belt can cut across their neck rather than their mid-shoulder. In a crash, this can cause severe internal injuries (often referred to as "seatbelt syndrome").
This is why there is The 5-Step Test!!
Instead of relying strictly on age or an exact height number, the safest way to know if a child can safely ditch the booster seat is the industry-standard 5-Step Test.
They are ready for an adult seatbelt only if they can tick every single box:
Back: Can they sit with their back completely flat against the vehicle seat back?
Knees: Do their knees bend comfortably over the front edge of the seat cushion?
Sash Belt: Does the shoulder belt cross the middle of their shoulder (not riding up on their neck or slipping off the arm)?
Lap Belt: Does the lap belt sit low down, firmly touching the top of their thighs (not riding up across the stomach)?
Stay Put: Can they stay seated in this exact position for the entire trip without slumping or sliding down?
You find me a 7 year old that passes the 5 step test. If they fit in a Type G or Type E, they sit in one.
