Australian child restraint laws currently focus on age as an indicator for when a child should move out of a booster seat and into an adult restraint. However, paediatric research has shown that height is a far safer measure. And instead, recommending they stay in a booster seat until they’re at least 145cm tall.

With less than 3% of children reaching 145cm by the time they turn 7, parents needed to know that booster seat safety is about height, not age.

TAC’s lead Director of Road Safety, Samantha Cockfield noted that “all passengers need to be correctly restrained when travelling in a vehicle, especially children who are the most vulnerable road users. Booster seats reduce a child’s risk of injury and death in a car crash by providing side impact protection, and most importantly, protecting their heads.”

The Booster Tag is a simple, innovative solution that reframes booster seat safety for parents. No matter how old a child is, if they fit clothing displaying the Booster Tag, they’re likely still under 145cm tall and require a booster seat to safely travel on our roads.

It's a public service announcement that gets washed, folded, and re-seen every week. A message that stays with parents as long as the t-shirts displaying the Booster Tag icon fit their children. A simple, tactile idea that turns any child’s t-shirt into a potential road safety reminder.

The Booster Tag is a universal safety icon that turns every t-shirt into a road safety reminder. Australian parents put their children at risk of serious injury by moving them out of a booster seat too soon. Most think this can happen at age 7, but it’s safest to keep children in a booster seat until they’re 145cm. A height many don’t reach until they’re 12. Clothing sizes are standardised by height, not age. A child who fits size 4, is around 108cm tall and if they fit a size 11, they’re getting close to 145cm. So, any child who fits into clothing displaying the Booster Tag icon should still be in a booster seat, regardless of their age.

We designed The Booster Tag - a simple, innovative solution that reframes booster seat safety for parents. No matter how old a child is, if they fit clothing displaying the Booster Tag icon, they’re likely still under 145cm tall and require a booster seat to safely travel on our roads.

Two of Victoria’s most trusted brands, RACV and the TAC, along with CHE Proximity joined together to educate parents around car booster seat safety. They designed a new label icon to sit alongside existing care instructions in any t-shirt that fits children under 145cm tall (sizes 4-11).

To build awareness we ensured that we were active in large OOH, Print, Online, Digital Video, and Social, with the campaign culminating in having a dedicated space at the ‘Road to Zero’ School Holiday Program at Melbourne Museum.

With this campaign focussing on long-term behaviour change, it’s difficult to quantify the shift in behaviour and perceptions. Practically, within one week of launching the Booster Tag, the initiative already has a wide range of partners, from Australian department store chain MYER to popular kids' brands Oobi, Little Horn, Minti, Larni the Carni, Stella Phoenix. We also took a grassroots approach and have worked with several schools and sporting clubs to incorporate the Booster Tag icon into their uniforms.

Excitingly, there has also been significant interest from additional brands and organisations in adopting the Booster Tag, with new partners to be announced soon. Australian clothing sizes are standardised, so it’s easy for any clothing manufacturer in the country to adopt the Booster Tag and include the icon on their labels.

There has also been national coverage of the initiative across key Australian news outlets with television broadcasts and online articles.