abz123 Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I came across something on Google that suggests that only Australian bought child car seats can be used legally in a car. Does this mean we leave our UK isofix seats behind? Do Australian cars have isofix or some other method of attachment? Never liked the idea of seat belt secured car seats due to the scare stories about the number not correctly fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryljae Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I've been looking into this myself as I'm about to buy a car seat in the uk for my baby due in October... Like everyone else in the UK, i've been advised to get the Maxi cosi with easybase/isofix as they're the safest (in UK, Europe, US and NZ) It does seem that currently in Oz, to meet car seat safety standards the seats have to be attached at the top. Have read on forums various things such as: - It's too expensive for maxi-cosi to go through the process of getting their seats approved by the Oz gov because the market is so small - It is technically illegal to to have a non-compliant car seat but there are insurance companies who will insure whatever car seat you have - Folk who have brought out their maxi cosi's to Oz get comments from people saying they look so much safer than the Oz ones etc etc.... I couldn't seem to find any mention of whether they would get approved or not eventually but there do seem to be a number of people who use them anyway!! If you read/hear anything else please post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Insurance wise then you are only covered if you have seats with the Australian tick of approval. Seats here are kept in by the seat belt and a hook over the back seat into an anchoring point somewhere on the back of the seat or the floor behind nothing really fancy but easily transferable from car to car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Iando Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 The method here is not as good as ISOFIX but the anchor point does make it safer than the ones you refer to that are just held in by a seatbelt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Yep, you have to have the Aussie ones. I know it's a pain, but legally you could be in all sorts of problems if you do not have a legal car seat and you had an accident. Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ABCDiamond Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 A couple of links for info on this... Australia wide: A Simple Guide to Child Restraints http://www.ntc.gov.au/filemedia/bulletins/SaferRestraintofChildrenFeb08.pdf QLD specific: Frequently asked questions also: Current Australian Road RulesChildren less than 12 months of age must be restrained in a suitable approved child restraint. Children between 12 months and 16 years of age must be restrained in an approved child restraint or a properly fastened seatbelt, where one is available. and Proposed New Rules for 2009The Australian Transport Council has now approved new laws which will introduce a mandatory, size-appropriate restraint system for all children up to the age of 7, and it is expected that these new laws will come into effect in the second half of 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Hi Unfortunately the information you have been given is correct, you can only use Australian Standard car Seats. Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest D4nnyB0y Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I own an Audi which I bought in England. Part of the reasoning for getting it was that it had ISOFIX mountings and the dealership included 2 seats as part of the sale. When I shipped it over, it had to have a compliance check by the dept of transport people which was fine and the commented on how good the ISOFIX was - absolutely no movement in the seats at all, as they are basically attached to the chassis of the car HOWEVER, despite this and the fact that I had two seats attached legally I had to have two NEW fittings attached to the car so that the AU 'capsule' type baby seats could be nmounted in the back of the car. The guys at the pits even showed me how unsafe these car seats are in a side on impact (there is nothing that prevents side to side movement for example). Unoffically I was told that if they had ISOFIX in their cars, they would use that in preference to the AU standard type. However, it's quite hard to find anything other than this standard here in AU, as it isn't a 'legal' standard to use. I've still got my kids seats in the garage at the moment, even though my kids are too old to use them now as they are on boosters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Hi, I was wondering if anyone currently in Australia could recommend a good online shop and a good carseat that I could buy for my 2 yr old. I will also need a booster seat for a 7 yr old. Its hard to judge them as there doesnt seem to be much info on the websites I've seen, plus they're all pretty expensive compared to here. I'll be out for a 3 week reccie, and will need to buy it beforehand so that my sister can have it in her car for collecting us from the airport. I had a look on the Toys R Us website, but it seems to be down! The other ones are not very good. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Shaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HPRYCE Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Not sure where you are headed Shaz36 but you may find these couple of websites give you some useful pointers www.babybunting.com.au www.babyco.com.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Hi, I'm heading to Brisbane, but looking at the prices of these car seats and boosters, compared to the UK, I think I might try and hire some for the time I'm out there. Each of the websites have a choice of 1 or 2 seats for each category, and they dont look particularly great. I'd appreciate a name of one if anyone can suggest a good quality one that they are using out there. Thanks Shaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Hi, Just bumping up to see if anyone has hired carseats and how easy it was, price, quality of seats? Thanks Shaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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