Aussie technology helps save kids

An Australian patented invention designed to help protect kids on the road has launched around the country.

Using wireless technology, 'buckle me up' is designed to reduce the risk of serious injury or death of children as a result of unbuckled seatbelts in the back seat of cars that don't have rear-seat seatbelt warnings.

Australian legislation states that all new cars must have seatbelt warning devices in the front, but not necessarily in the back, where passengers are likely to be small children.

buckle me up is a simple, effective, retrofit wireless seatbelt reminder and alert safety system for the back seats in passenger cars. The advantage of the patented safety system is twofold:

>> It advises the driver via a dashboard-mounted alert unit if the backseat passengers unbuckle

>> It reduces driver distraction by eliminating the need for drivers, likely parents, to turn around taking their eyes off the road to check seatbelts are buckled

CEO of SIDS and Kids, which provides support for bereaved parents, Associate Professor Leanne Raven said: "Unrestrained children in the car coupled with driver distraction can have devastating consequences. For more than 25 years, I've witnessed first-hand the impact road crashes have on families."

"buckle me up is the only retrofit wireless seatbelt safety system to provide a solution to this problem. It's a simple concept that will provide a huge benefit to families, particularly those who often have a number of young children in the backseat," said Associate Professor Raven.

The manufacturer says that buckle me up is simple for parents to install themselves (similar to an e-tag), it is 100 per cent Australian designed, manufactured and owned, and has undergone rigorous performance, functionality, and factory acceptance testing and is compliant and accredited to the highest relevant Australian quality standards.

buckle me up is now available for $189 at bucklemeup.com.