Family Advice

'What to look for when shopping for a family car' in Australia.'

Keeping your children safe is the top priority for any parent - and that includes when you’re in the car.

What is the best baby car seat for your child, what makes it so good and how much will it cost you - these are questions that, if you’re about to have your first child, you can’t quite believe are not just on your radar, but suddenly blocking almost everything else. (Here's a tip: the word 'safety' is the one you'll be rolling around in your mind the most.)

What is the age a child can use a front-facing car seat? Well, in Australia that answer is both simple and confusing. Legally, your gorgeous, wonderful baby must be kept in an approved rear-facing seat until he or she is six months old, and from that point you can put them in a forward-facing seat, but… you don’t have to, and they can stay facing backwards if you prefer.

Have enough kids to start your own cult? Feel like a mother duck with your train of ducklings when you're at the supermarket? Then you need a large car.

Installing child car seats used to be worse than building an IKEA cupboard from scratch, but with the introduction of ISOFIX child seats, much of the mystery has been solved. You also get a much more secure baby seat which doesn’t wobble in your car, which brings valuable peace of mind for any parent. It’s

The installation of a car seat is probably quite low down on your list of concerns if you’ve just had a child, but the safety device is crucial when travelling with precious cargo.

Cars are rated from 1 to 5 in terms of safety, with a 5-star rating the best.The stars are awarded under the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).ANCAP crash tests cars in specially built facilities in scenarios that are designed to simulate real world situations.The stars indicate the level of safety for occupants and pedestrians in a crash, as well as an indication of a car's ability to avoid a crash altogether through technology fitted.The ANCAP crash test program was established in 1992 with the first test results published in 1993.Vehicles must achieve minimum scores across all physical crash tests for each ANCAP safety rating levelEuro NCAP was established in 1997 and ANCAP began testing and assessing vehicles in accordance with the Euro NCAP protocols in 1999. At this time the star rating system was also introduced.Crash tests dummies costing up to a million dollars each are used to measure the forces and likely injuries a driver, passenger or pedestrian may sustain.Vehicles must achieve minimum scores across all physical crash tests for each ANCAP safety rating level, as well as meet minimum requirements for the inclusion of safety equipment and technologies.In 2008 the inclusion of electronic stability control (ESC) became mandatory before a vehicle could achieve the maximum five stars.Cars built before this date may well have a five-star rating, but may not necessarily be fitted with ESC — so it pays to check.Ratings are on record, in a searchable, online databaseANCAP crash tests new passenger and light commercial vehicles entering the Australian and New Zealand markets at its facility at Huntingwood, NSW, but also accepts crash data from related organisations like Euro NCAP to formulate ratings.ANCAP sources cars itself to avoid any possibility of vehicles being specially prepared.Ratings are on record, in a searchable, online database that stretches back to the first car to receive a five star rating in Australia, the Renault Laguna in 2001.

What are advanced safety features and how can they help protect your family?

I first appreciated AWD, or noticed the lack of it, when driving in my old car on a very steep hill with my children in the backseat. And my car started to slide backwards.