Target country is the only store in Cootamundra which sells child restraints and reports an increase number of sales.

“Over the past month, and particularly the last two weeks, we’ve seen an increase in the purchase of child restraints as people prepared for the new laws and took advantage of our great catalogue offers,” Target Country store manager Debbie White said.

As of last week, children aged between four and seven will have to be secured in a forward facing child restraint.

The Road Amendment Child Restraint Rules 2010 mean children younger than six months must be secured in rearward facing restraints.

Those aged between six months and four years must be secured in either a rear facing or forward facing restraint.

Cootamundra authorised car seat installer SG Chambers’s owner Jason Chambers said they have had an increased number of inquiries about the laws and whether or not people comply.

Cootamundra Road Safety officer Bruce Barrett said information on the changes is available from the Cootamundra council office and urged parents to collect a copy of this information if they are confused.

Mr Barrett raised questions surrounding the difficulty in enforcing the new laws, adding parents don’t really carry the birth certificates of their children around with them.

Cootamundra LAC Crime Co-ordinator Sergeant David Cockram said the new laws will be policed like any other traffic offence.

“If police sight a child who is not properly retrained in a motor vehicle then the appropriate action will be taken,” Sgt Cockram said.

“At this time road trauma is of a main focus for the command. Having your children safely secured in your motor vehicle is perhaps one of the most important responsibilities a driver should undertake.

“Police urge members of the community to be aware of the new changes,” Sgt Cockram said.

Children aged four years to under seven years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in a child restraint or booster seat.