Improving child restraint rules

The NTC has reviewed the child restraint provisions in the Australian Road Rules and is now inviting public feedback on the recently released issues paper. We have developed factsheets and a one page summary to assist you in providing feedback.

The consultation closes on Friday, 19 December, 2025. See below for more detail.

The child restraint rules within the ARR were last reviewed in 2010. Since that time, there have been significant changes to child restraint design and research into best practice use. NTC will work with state and territory jurisdictions, as well as relevant stakeholders to review the current ARR relating to child restraints. There will be a specific focus on the following areas:  

• Appropriate use of child restraints
• Adult seatbelts and seating position
• Improving the level of protection for children with medical conditions and disabilities
• Additional items including taxis and rideshare

The NTC has developed an issues paper that explores several options for updating the rules on child restraints. It also includes key questions to guide feedback on the proposed changes. 

To support your understanding of the project and what the review involves, we’ve also created a series of factsheets. These factsheets summarise some of the main sections of the issues paper and can be viewed here:

• Project and consultation overview
• Appropriate use of child restraints
• Adult seat belts and seating position
• Children with medical conditions or disabilities

You can submit your feedback via the ‘Have your say’ form below, upload a written submission or complete a short questionnaire.

This issues paper is open for public consultation until Friday, 19 December 2025.  

We are holding a webinar for anyone interested in learning more about the project and hearing from the project team. It will be held online on Thursday 13 November from 1.00pm-1.45pm (AEDT). You can register to attend here.

A key part of the review includes the development of an Issues Paper and an Options Paper. To support this, we have established an Expert Advisory Group (EAG) to provide independent, evidence-based advice to the NTC, helping us better understand current challenges, their impacts, and potential solutions.

The EAG includes representatives from state and territory governments, law enforcement, advocacy organisations, road safety experts, research institutions, manufacturers, installers, and medical and allied health professionals.

Input from the EAG plays a vital role in shaping our work and informing the broader public consultation process.
 

We are committed to engaging a broad range of stakeholders at key milestones throughout the project.

Following our initial research and discussions with experts, we are currently undertaking public consultation. This will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to comment on evidence-based options for improving child restraint requirements.

A second round of public consultation will be held in the second quarter of 2026 to further refine the proposed options and inform the impact analysis.

Final recommendations will be presented to Ministers for approval in the second half of 2026.