RACV and TAC turn t-shirts into road safety tools with the Booster Tag via CHE Proximity

Two of Victoria’s most trusted brands, RACV and TAC, have joined together to educate parents around car booster seat safety. Parents are unknowingly putting their children at risk of serious injury by moving them out of a booster seat before it’s safe. Most think this can happen at 7 years of age. But in fact, it’s safest to keep children in a booster seat until they’re 145cm tall.

The Booster Tag is a simple, innovative solution that reframes booster seat safety in terms of height, not age. Turning any kids t-shirt into a potential road safety tool.

The new label icon, in the shape of a smiling booster seat, is designed to sit alongside existing care instructions in any t-shirt that fits children under 145cm tall (sizes 4-11). Letting parents know to keep their child in a booster seat if they still fit clothing that displays the icon.

Current child restraint laws focus on age as an indicator of when a child should move up into an adult restraint. But paediatric research has shown that height is a far safer measure and that children should use a booster seat until they are at least 145cm in height [4]. Less than 3% of children reach 145cm by the time they turn 7[6]. 

The Booster Tag is open-sourced and designed to be adopted by any brand in the country. High-profile children’s clothing manufacturers Oobi, Minti and Little Horn have already adopted The Booster Tag in their ranges. Myer has also incorporated The Booster Tag message onto selected garments across its popular Milkshake range. More brands will be announced soon.

A limited-edition, unisex range of eight t-shirts has also been created to launch the initiative. Available online at www.boostertag.com.au, all profits will go towards The Royal Children’s Hospital to help children and their families affected by road trauma.

TAC Lead Director of Road Safety, Samantha Cockfield, said, “This campaign is about arming parents with simple and clear information to help them protect their most precious cargo. It’s critical that all passengers are correctly restrained when travelling in a vehicle, especially children, who are among our 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.”

RACV Senior Policy Advisor – Safety, Elvira Lazar, added, “We hope to spark a movement that sees all children’s clothing manufacturers utilise The Booster Tag which in turn, can help to save children’s lives. Using age as a guide to move children out of a booster seat is no longer appropriate. All seven-year olds are different heights so it only makes sense that we show parents that it is height that they should consider before evaluating if they should take their child out of a booster seat.”

Amy Weston and Chris Andrews, Creative Directors at CHE Proximity said, “The Booster Tag reframes booster seat safety for parents in an unexpected way – using their kid’s clothing as a daily reminder. It’s a simple icon and a small action for clothing brands to adopt, but we hope it’ll have a big impact on road safety.”

The Booster Tag is a fully integrated campaign currently running across print and digital platforms, with further outdoor and event activations happening later this year.

Source: CHE Proximity

  Amy Weston, Australia, CHE Proximity, Elvira Lazar, RACV, Samantha Cockfield, TAC, The Booster Tag