Safety belts and child restraints

Safety belts and child restraints protect people by holding them in their seats when there is a crash or when the vehicle stops suddenly. If you don’t wear a safety belt and you’re involved in a crash, you could be thrown out of your vehicle.

Not all heavy vehicles are required to be fitted with safety belts. However, if your vehicle does have safety belts, you must use them.

Always remember to fasten your safety belt before you drive off.

Legal requirements for safety belts in your vehicle

Responsibility

As the driver you are responsible for making sure passengers under the age of 15 are using an approved child restraint or safety belt.

• Children under seven must be in an approved child restraint.
• Children aged seven must use an approved child restraint if one is available. If such a restraint is not available, the child must be restrained as securely as practicable in the circumstances using any child restraint or seat belt that is available (whether or not that child restraint or seat belt is approved).
• Children aged eight to 14 must wear a safety belt.

The safety belt must be worn correctly and kept securely fastened while the vehicle is in motion on the road.

Passengers 15 years and over are responsible for making sure that they wear their own safety belts correctly and that they keep them fastened while the vehicle is in motion.

Bus drivers in vehicles with passenger safety belts are not responsible for ensuring passengers wear them except passengers under the age of 15 sitting in a front seat alongside the driver.

Special exemptions

You don’t have to wear a safety belt if you:

• hold a current doctor’s certificate that says you don’t have to wear a safety belt for medical reasons
• are driving and you’re unable to reach the controls (for example, brake, signals, dip switch) with a safety belt on
• are a small passenger service vehicle (eg taxi or app-based service) driver plying for hire (your passengers, however, must wear safety belts)
• are a driver or passenger who is getting in and out of the vehicle often to read meters, deliver goods, etc. In these situations you must not travel faster than 50km/h
• are reversing and it is difficult to see while wearing a safety belt.

Child restraints

Under sevens

Children under seven years old must be properly restrained in an approved child restraint.

The only exception to this rule is when the children are travelling in a taxi or other small passenger service vehicle that doesn’t have an approved child restraint. In this case, the children must sit in the rear seat.

Seven year olds

Children aged seven years old must use a child restraint if available.

If no child restraint is available, they must use a safety belt.

If no safety belt is available, they must sit in the rear seat.

Child Restraints (more information)