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Chest clips are not allowed in Australia or on any restraint manufactured under the combined Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754. While they are common in the US, chest clips do not meet Australian standards due to concerns that they could cause neck injuries in a crash. However, new research has shown that there may be potential safety benefits to using chest clips, which could lead to a change in Australian standards.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for illegality | Concerns about potential neck injuries in a crash |
| Reason for potential legality | Potential safety benefit in using the plastic clips on car restraints to keep shoulder straps together and reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash |
| Other reasons for illegality | Chest clips are an additional obstruction for emergency services workers when removing the child from a vehicle |
| Other countries where chest clips are illegal | Europe and the UK |
| Countries where chest clips are legal | The US |
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What You'll Learn
- Chest clips are not expressly disallowed in Australia, but they are not commonly used
- Chest clips are popular in the US but don't meet Australian standards
- Chest clips may help keep straps on a child's shoulders but won't stop them from wriggling out
- Chest clips are an additional obstruction for emergency services to contend with
- Australian car seats are very different from those in the US and Europe
Chest clips are not expressly disallowed in Australia, but they are not commonly used
Chest clips are not currently permitted in Australia or on any restraint manufactured under the combined Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754. However, it is important to note that Australian standards do not expressly disallow chest clips. Instead, car seat manufacturers in the country typically do not include them. This is because chest clips are seen as an additional step that could slow down the process of removing a child from a car seat in an emergency. The clips are also not necessary for the proper positioning of the harness in Australian car seats, which have harnesses threaded differently in forward-facing restraints.
While chest clips are not expressly prohibited, their absence in Australian car seats is in line with the country's focus on ease of removal during emergencies. This regulation is shared by the UK and Europe, where the swift removal of a child from a car seat in one motion is prioritized. In contrast, chest clips are commonly used in the United States, where they are added to prevent forward rotation during accidents. However, it is not a legal requirement to have a chest clip on a child's car seat in the US.
Despite the current regulations, new research in Australia has sparked discussions about potentially lifting the 'ban' on chest clips. Researchers at the Transurban Road Safety Centre at NeuRA have found that chest clips may offer a potential safety benefit by keeping shoulder straps together and reducing the risk of serious injury in a crash. Their testing has shown that the clips are unlikely to forcefully touch a child's neck during a crash and did not result in any serious injuries when used with Australian car seats.
The findings of this research have been submitted to the Australian Standards Committee to determine if the potential benefits of chest clips are significant enough to allow their use with Australian child car restraints. This could lead to a change in Australian standards, making chest clips more widely accepted in the country. However, as of 2024, the 'ban' on chest clips in Australia remains in place, with car seat manufacturers continuing to avoid their inclusion.
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Chest clips are popular in the US but don't meet Australian standards
Chest clips are a device added to car seats to prevent forward rotation during a crash. They are popular in the US, but they do not meet Australian standards. This is due to concerns that chest clips could cause neck injuries in a crash and the fact that they create an additional obstruction for emergency services when removing a child from a vehicle.
Australian harnesses are threaded differently in forward-facing restraints, which aid in preventing forward rotation during a crash, making chest clips unnecessary. While chest clips are not expressly disallowed in Australia, car seat manufacturers do not typically use them to keep the harness in position. This is in contrast to the US, where chest clips are commonly used to stop car seat shoulder straps from falling down.
There is ongoing research into the safety of chest clips in Australia, and it is possible that the standards may change in the future. Australian researchers have found that there could be a potential safety benefit to using chest clips, as they can help to keep shoulder straps in place and reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash. However, as of 2024, the clips do not meet Australian standards and are not allowed to be used on any restraint manufactured under the combined Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754.
It is worth noting that the legality of chest clips in Europe and the UK is somewhat unclear. While chest clips are not illegal in the UK, they are not permitted to be included by manufacturers in Europe, and very few manufacturers accept them as an aftermarket product. The Multimac car seat, for example, was designed primarily for Europe, where regulations require that emergency services be able to quickly and easily remove a child from the car in one swift movement in the event of an accident.
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Chest clips may help keep straps on a child's shoulders but won't stop them from wriggling out
Chest clips are not allowed in Australia or on any restraint manufactured under the combined Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754. They are a hard plastic device added to American Standard seats to prevent forward rotation of a child in the event of an accident. However, Australian harnesses are threaded differently in forward-facing restraints, which helps prevent this occurrence.
Chest clips are not a restraint system and cannot physically hold a child in the event of a crash. They are a pre-crash positioner, ensuring that the shoulder straps are in the correct place prior to a crash. In the event of an accident, the chest clip will often open and move down the harness by itself, without injuring the child.
While chest clips may help keep straps on a child's shoulders, they will not stop a child from wriggling out. In fact, they could cause issues for emergency services who need to quickly and easily remove a child from a car in one swift movement in the event of an accident.
There are also concerns that chest clips could cause neck injuries in a crash, or that they could break and become choking hazards for children. However, recent research by Australian researchers has found no sign of serious injury related to chest clips when used with Australian car seats. This could lead to a change in Australian standards so that the clips can be used by Australian parents.
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Chest clips are an additional obstruction for emergency services to contend with
Chest clips are not allowed in Australia or to be used on any restraint manufactured under the combined Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754. They are a hard plastic device added to American Standard seats to prevent forward rotation of a child in the event of an accident. Chest clips are not required in Australia as harnesses are threaded differently in forward-facing restraints, which aid in preventing this occurrence.
One of the reasons chest clips are not permitted in Australia is that they are considered an additional obstruction for emergency services to contend with when removing the child from a vehicle, often one-handed. In Europe and the UK, there is a similar regulation that it must be possible for emergency services to quickly and easily remove a child from the car in one swift movement in the event of an accident.
Australian seats are very different from those in the US. Except for a few very lightweight boosters, all Australian seats have top tethers that must be used. There are no load legs or chest clips (with one exception, the Houdini Stop, which is crash-tested and approved for use to stop children from getting their arms out). Australian seats are also all height-based, not weight-based.
While chest clips are not expressly disallowed in Australia, car seat manufacturers, like those in Europe, do not habitually use a chest clip to keep the harness in position. Instead, they use other methods to position the harness correctly. This often involves large, rigid covers on the harness with a grippy backing that keeps the harness from shifting.
New research into 'banned' car seat chest clips could prompt a change to Australian standards. Australian researchers have shown that there is a potential safety benefit in using the plastic clips on car restraints to keep shoulder straps together and reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash.
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Australian car seats are very different from those in the US and Europe
Australian car seats are notably different from those in the US and Europe. Firstly, Australian car seats do not feature chest clips, which are common in American car seats. Chest clips are a hard plastic device added to American standard seats to prevent forward rotation of a child in the event of an accident. However, chest clips are not required in Australia as their harnesses are threaded differently in forward-facing restraints, which aid in preventing this occurrence. European standards also require that child restraints be able to be released with a single motion, so chest clips are not used.
Another difference is that Australian car seats have only one recline setting for rear-facing seats. They must always be positioned as close to 45 degrees as possible. In contrast, European car seats can have multiple recline settings, and there is more flexibility in terms of the height and weight limits for children using rear-facing seats.
Additionally, the installation methods vary between Australian, US, and European car seats. European car seats typically use ISOFIX, a firm and sturdy bar that sticks out from the back of the car seat, for installation. On the other hand, American car seats often use LATCH, a flexible seatbelt similar to a normal seatbelt, to secure the car seat. While some European countries may have looser regulations, Australia has strict rules regarding car seat installation, and the load leg is not permitted.
The side impact testing is another point of difference. EU law mandates side impact safety as an essential requirement for all car seats and booster seats, whereas American car seats do not have this requirement. However, some American manufacturers voluntarily conduct side impact testing and label their seats as "Side Impact Approved" or "Side Impact Tested".
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Frequently asked questions
Chest clips are not allowed in Australia or to be used on any restraint manufactured under the combined Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754.
Chest clips are not expressly disallowed in Australia, but they don't meet the standards. This is due to concerns that they could cause neck injuries in a crash.
Chest clips are a hard plastic device added to American Standard seats to prevent forward rotation of a child in the event of an accident.
Chest clips are not a restraint system and cannot physically hold a child in the event of a crash. They can also become choking hazards for children if they break. They are also seen as an obstruction for emergency services workers when removing the child from a vehicle. However, new research has shown that there may be a potential safety benefit in using chest clips to keep shoulder straps together and reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash.
