Standards and regulations
Relating to vehicle restraint systems and accessories used by people with disabilities and medical conditions
Introduction
Australian and overseas standards and regulations set requirements for the design, testing, information and use of vehicle restraint systems and related products.
Different standards and regulations apply to different types of products. Australian standard car seats comply with AS/NZS 1754, while special purpose car seats available in Australia commonly rely on overseas standards or regulatory approvals.
MACA advocates for standards and regulations that recognise the motor vehicle transport needs of people with disability and medical conditions and support access to safe and suitable products.
Children with disability and medical conditions may travel in Australian standard car seats, special purpose car seats or other restraint systems and devices, depending on their individual needs. Some special purpose car seats can also accommodate older children and adults.
The latest edition of AS/NZS 1754, published in 2024, includes new provisions allowing manufacturers to develop variations to Australian standard child restraint systems for children with disability and medical conditions. These include features to support postural needs and reduce the risk of children releasing or getting out of their restraint. It is not yet known which manufacturers will develop products incorporating these provisions.
Learn more about these standards and regulations below.
Australian standards
There are four key Australian standards that relate to transporting people with disabilities and medical conditions in motor vehicles:
- Australian/New Zealand Standard 1754 Child restraint systems for use in motor vehicles (AS/NZS 1754)
- Australian Standard 8005 Accessories for child restraints for use in motor vehicles
- Australian/New Zealand Standard 4370 Restraint of children with disabilities, or medical conditions, in motor vehicles (AS/NZS 4370)
- Australian Standard 5384 Accessories for seat belts for use in motor vehicles (AS 5384)
Overseas standards and regulations
A number of overseas standards and regulations are relevant to special purpose car seats available in Australia. These include:
- UN Regulation No. 44 (UN R44) — an older United Nations child restraint regulation
- UN Regulation No. 129 (UN R129) — the newer United Nations child restraint regulation, which includes specific provisions for Special Needs Restraints
- United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
- Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including CMVSS 213, CMVSS 213.3 and CMVSS 213.5
European Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices
Regulation (EU) 2017/745 is intended to ensure the safety and performance of medical devices. Unlike UN R44 and UN R129, it does not set specific child restraint performance requirements for special purpose car seats. Instead, it places obligations on manufacturers in relation to the safety, performance, conformity assessment and ongoing oversight of medical devices.
Key differences
There are many differences in the requirements of each standard and regulation. This impacts on how they are installed and used in motor vehicles. Examples of key differences include:
Dynamic testing
The Australian/New Zealand standard has more dynamic testing requirements, including frontal, side, rear (for some restraints), and inverted for baby restraints to test for occupant ejection. It also tests to a greater force than overseas standards.
Classification
Australian standard car seats use shoulder height markers, together with approximate age guidance, to help determine when a child should move between restraint types. UN R129 also primarily uses a child’s height to define the approved range of use. By contrast, the older UN R44 regulation classifies child restraints by occupant weight, up to 36 kg. US (FMVSS) and Canadian (CMVSS) requirements do not prescribe the same overall maximum occupant weight limit, which helps explain why some special purpose car seats approved under these systems accommodate higher occupant weights.
Side impact testing
Side impact protection is a key feature of Australian standard car seats. This is why they have big side wings that surround the child’s head area. Until recently Australia had the only standard in the world requiring side impact testing. However in recent times it has been introduced in the ECE r129, and has been proposed for the US (FMVSS) and Canadian (CMVSS) standards.
Top tether straps
Australian standard rearward-facing and forward-facing car seats, and booster seats weighing more than 2 kg, use a top tether. Overseas requirements differ, so some special purpose car seats do not have a top tether.
European regulations
UN R44 is the older United Nations regulation for child restraint systems. UN R129 was introduced in 2013 and progressively replaced UN R44.
In the European Union, UN R129 replaced UN R44 for new child restraint type approvals from 1 September 2023. R44-approved child restraints already in the supply chain could continue to be sold until 1 September 2024. Existing R44-approved restraints already in use can continue to be used.
UN R129 primarily classifies restraints by a child’s height, includes side-impact testing and requires children to remain rear facing to at least 15 months. It also includes specific provisions for Special Needs Restraints.
Key differences between the two regulations are:
Regulation No. 44 | Regulation No. 129 |
Classification based on child’s weight | Classification based on child’s height (in cm) |
Categorised by groups (Group 0+, 1,2,3) | No groups |
Child can be forward-facing from 9 kg | Child must rear face to a minimum of 15 months |
Can be installed with seatbelt or ISOFIX | In some cases can only be installed with ISOFIX (built-in harness as primary restraint products only) |
Rear and front impact testing | Rear, front and side impact testing |
P dummy used in crash tests with 4 sensors | Q dummy used in crash tests with 32 sensors |
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