Laws boost baby capsule hire

THE Queensland Ambulance Service has reported a surge in requests for its baby capsule hire and fitting services.

New child restraint legislation, aimed at reducing the number of child road fatalities, came into effect yesterday.

QAS Commissioner David Melville said national studies had shown as many as 70 per cent of child restraints were not fitted correctly.

“Parents and carers may have good intentions about restraining their children safely in their car, but the statistics suggest greater vigilance is required to ensure that the restraints are correctly fitted and adjusted to suit the growing child,” Mr Melville said.

There are 29 locations around the state that fit and conduct checks on baby capsules.

For more information call

1300 369 003.

“QAS also asks that people book appointments when they call this number as demand for the service is high and appointments need to be made several weeks in advance,” Mr Melville said.

“People who use the QAS baby capsule hire and fitting service can take comfort in the fact that their safety restraints will be properly fitted and functioning appropriately.”

In one year QAS installed more than 14,000 baby capsules.