Product safety

Online child car restraints

The ACCC has raised a serious safety alert after the recall of unsafe child car restraint supplied by an online trader.

eBay trader Doreen 3058 supplied the WORWO baby car seats via eBay Australia in May and June this year. The seats were manufactured by Taizhou Ganen Car Appliance Co. Ltd.

These baby car seats breach the mandatory safety standard for child restraint systems for use in vehicles. They were supplied without an upper tether strap, a breach that, in a car accident, would result in the risk of serious injury or death.

Suppliers, including online traders, must ensure that the car seats they supply meet the mandatory product safety standard. The ACCC will take action against businesses supplying child car restraints that do not comply with the mandatory product safety standard. Where non-compliant car restraints are found, recalls may occur and the ACCC may take other legal action.

Consumers need to take extreme caution when buying or borrowing, installing and using a child car restraint.  Here are some tips:

• Never use second-hand or hand-me-down restraints that have been in an accident or have no current standard label or instructions for installation.
• Whenever possible, use specialist car restraint installers to avoid common mistakes in do-it-yourself installation.
• Always check that the child car restraint is in good condition  and has no frayed or broken straps and buckles.
• Teach your child always to ask to use a restraint or seat belt.

The ACCC's Keeping baby safe booklet includes other safety tips for buying and using child car restraints.