The young must be safely restrained in proper baby or child seats as a matter of policy for all parents
theSun, Tues, 14 Dec 2010
ACCORDING to the World Report on Child Injury Prevention, released by Unicef and World Health Organisation in 2008, the top cause of child deaths is road crashes. Some 260,000 children are killed every year while about 10 million are injured.
Road accidents are also the leading cause of deaths among 10- to 19-year-olds, next to drowning that kills more than 175,000 children a year.
Responding to a reader’s feedback in a local daily in June this year, the director-general of Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) said: "One of the primary areas that are currently being comprehensively looked into by Miros is the need for children to be safely restrained in vehicles, more precisely the use of baby seats, child seats, and child booster seats.
"As you are aware, while the law states that all occupants of a vehicle must fasten their seat belts, there are currently no provisions making it mandatory for adults ferrying small children in the car to use proper child-restraint systems."
Whether a mandatory law is already in place or not, it is of utmost importance for all of us to know and practise car safety measures for our children.
After reading various articles on car safety for children, I’ve gathered and compiled some tips here:
> Babies must be placed in proper carriers that are fastened to the seat of the car and children must be in car seats or booster seats that are correctly fitted and appropriate for their size.
If your child’s head sticks out over the top, the child seat is too small. If your child sits loosely in the child seat, roll up a few towels and place them on either side of the child in the seat.
> A child can be placed in the front passenger seat only if the car has no passenger-side airbag or if the airbag is switched off. Airbags are meant for adults and when deployed during a crash, could cause serious injury to children.
Turn it on again when an adult sits there. If the airbag cannot be switched off, the child must sit at the back.
> It is best for children of all ages, including teenagers, to be seated at the back of the car, with baby carriers fastened in a rear-facing position in the centre of the car to minimise injuries from side-on crashes.
Ensure that the baby carrier or car seat you purchase is from a reliable manufacturer and has met necessary safety standards. Install the seat properly following the manufacturer’s instructions. A child can still get hurt in a car seat that has not been properly fastened to the car when he is thrown forward during an accident.
> The child has to be secured with a three-point seat belt. If a child uses the normal seat belt of the car, the diagonal belt must cross the child’s chest and shoulders and not the neck.
When using a hand-me-down car seat, make sure that it had not been in any accident before. Examine it for cracks or wear-and tear, and that the belt and buckle are complete and functioning.
Some seats come with a manufacturer’s expiration date so check for that too.
A good and correctly-used car seat, and conscious effort in ensuring your child’s safety are worthwhile investments.
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