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National child restraint laws will be introduced in South Australia from 1 July 2010 to help protect children in the event of a crash. After a three month grace period penalties will apply from 1 October 2010.

Children need different restraints as they grow. Nothing else offers the same level of crash protection for babies and young children as a properly fitted child restraint. To provide maximum safety benefits, the restraint must match the size of the child and be properly installed and adjusted to fit the child’s body.

From birth, children start with a rearward-facing infant restraint, progress to a forward-facing child safety seat and finally graduate to a booster seat before using an adult seatbelt when they are tall enough.

Approved child restraints

Up to six months

Rearward-facing infant restraint. >> more information

Six months to four years

Rearward-facing infant restraint or Forward-facing child safety seat with an inbuilt harness. >> more information

Four to seven years

Forward facing child safety seat with an inbuilt harness or Booster seat and be restrained with a properly fastened and adjusted seatbelt or child safety harness. >> more information

Seven years and older

Move the child to a seatbelt only when they are tall enough for it to fit properly – where they are approx. 140 cm tall.  >> more information

Approved child restraints must comply with Australian Standard (AS) 1754.

If a child is too tall or heavy for the restraint specified for their age they should use the restraint specified for the next age group. If a child is also too small to move into the restraint approved for their age they should remain in the restraint specified for the previous age group.

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Image via Wikipedia

SUBARU now has an extra pair of eyes to assist drivers. The Japanese car maker has unveiled its latest safety gadget, Eyesight. The Hi-tech system has the ability to identify road hazards such as pedestrians or other cars.It then alerts the driver and automatically stops the car at speeds up to 50km/h.The company’s Australian operations have been testing the system for the past nine months. It is expected to be available locally next year.EyeSight can avoid frontal collisions, lane drifting and low-speed impacts.Other party tricks include land departure and sway warning functions.

via Eblens: Subaru, Suzuki and Stihl, experience the Eblens difference!.

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The RAA hopes new laws for restraining children in cars will help reduce road trauma.

From July children under seven will not be allowed to wear normal seat belts alone on South Australian roads.

Depending on age, they will have to be secured in a capsule or safety or booster seat.

via Tougher child restraint road laws for SA – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

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These boxy bad boys are helping Toyota dance to a new beat.

Decked out in wild paint jobs, ultra-low profile tyres and edgy alloys, these two funky cars are spreading the word that Toyota is walking on the wild side with its new Rukus. “It’s Rukus by name and rukus by nature,” according to Toyota Australia’s marketing manager Scott Thompson.

via Toyota Rukus aims to rattle box | Review | carsguide.com.au.

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It was fantasy a few years ago, but a car that steers itself is not too far away.

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via Mercedes-Benz F 800 self-steers | Review | carsguide.com.au.

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The brand which built its image on bulletproof quality and reliability is reeling as the revelations keep coming from the USA.Every day there seems to be something new, from extra customer complaints to a damaging internal document which points to deliberate delaying tactics on the safety front. The total cost of the fiasco is likely to be around $2 billion in lost sales, but no-one can yet say what the safety disaster – everything from faulty accelerator pedals to steering complaints on the Corolla and a brake drama on the Prius – will eventually cost the company in long-term respect.

via Toyota reels on recalls | Review | carsguide.com.au.

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This month we’ll be trying to keep our food choices sourced from Australia, or even closer to home. First you’ll need to check a map to see what’s within your local area, and then you’ll need to check your cupboard to see what you’ve already got.

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We can help American families cope with high gas prices by investing in public transportation and communities with transportation alternatives through climate change legislation.

Gas prices have shot up by more than a dollar per gallon in less than four months.

* Families are being squeezed by transportation costs that are now their second largest expense after housing (18 percent of household income on average), according to U.S. Census data.

* A recent Harris poll shows 92 percent of Americans believe that gas prices will only trend upward and they are looking to Congress for help.

via Public Transportation, Gas Prices, and Climate | Friends of the Earth.