TAC Teams With Sesame Street And Kidsafe On Child Restraint Message

Victoria's Transport Accident Commission and Kidsafe have teamed with children's television favourite, Sesame Street, in a bid to boost awareness on child restraints.

Supporting the United Nations' Decade of Action for Road Safety, Victoria's transport minister Terry Mulder was joined this week by Cookie Monster and Elmo in a video to launch the program.

"Research shows that correctly fitted and used child restraints and booster seats can reduce child death and serious injury when involved in a road crash," Mulder said.

"With 70,568 births registered in Victoria in 2010 (ABS), annually, many thousands of parents are faced with making a decision on which child restraint is the most appropriate for their child."

According to TAC studies, many drivers are installing or using child restraints incorrectly, and are graduating children to adult seatbelts too early.

The playful pair are in Australia this week to celebrate the show's 42nd season. Mr Mulder praised the Sesame Street program for its instrumental role in delivering positive information to children for more than 40 years.

The campaign will also see another Sesame Street favourite, Grover, added to the cast.

Kidsafe, TAC and Sesame Street are working to develop a campaign starring Grover, promoting key safety messages about the correct installation and operation of child restraints to maximise safety.

"The Decade of Action is a critical opportunity for a coordinated response among our global partners to mobilise media to promote road safety awareness among road users, especially families with young children," Robert Knezevic, Vice President International Project Manager Sesame Workshop, said.

The first stage of the campaign is expected to be released in November.

• Road Safety news