Dubai Police Issue Urgent Reminder to Parents Neglecting Child Safety in Vehicles
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Motorists were reminded of the risk of not properly securing children, as a survey revealed that one in three parents do not have adequate car seats
Authorities have reminded motorists to start the New Year by prioritizing road safety, especially for young children, who should be restrained in their safety seats when traveling.
The message was especially aimed at parents.
“Safety is our priority and yours too. Safeguarding the well-being of our little ones starts with ensuring they are properly seated in their car seats.”
Dubai Police he stressed in his tweet. See below how children 12 years old and younger and those over 13 years old should be seated in car seats.
This follows a survey conducted in the middle of last year which revealed that an alarming percentage (33 per cent) or one in three parents in the UAE do not own adequate car seats for their children.
Thomas Edelmann, founder and CEO of RoadSafetyUAEsaying:
“Obviously, safety in children’s cars is very important and the responsibility lies with the parents, who must establish appropriate safety habits from birth.
“This means that from the hospital, when the newborn is discharged, parents must take their newborn home in a suitable child seat, as required by the Seat Belt Law that came into force since 2017, which requires the use of child seats for children 0 to 4 years old.”
He elaborated:
“It is extremely important to play the role of a responsible parent, that is, always buy and use the appropriate child restraint system. Up to 4 years of age, these should be suitable child seats: initially rear-facing; later, head on.
In the 5-10 age group, booster seats and booster cushions should be used to ensure that the seat belt does not go over the child’s neck, as a collision and forward forces could strangle the child.”
Shocking results
In last year’s YouGov survey, commissioned by Road SafetyUAE and the German car seat and stroller company Cybex, it was discovered that
“Lack of ownership, use and knowledge (of car safety seats) remains a key issue for road safety.”
Respondents indicated that the main reasons for not having a child safety seat are: Lack of knowledge about what to buy (26 percent); Children do not like to be buckled (26 percent); Perception of the high price of child car seats (26 percent).
“What is more worrying is that about two-thirds of parents who own appropriate child safety seats, about 30 percent do not always ask their children to buckle up,”
Edelmann underlined.
The three main reasons for not encouraging their children according to parents are: “my children don’t like being buckled in child seats”; ‘on short trips it is not necessary to use a seat belt’; and “I am a safe driver and will not be involved in an accident.”
Mandatory seat belts for everyone
In the United Arab Emirates, all passengers in a car must wear seat belts, including those in the back seat, otherwise the driver of the vehicle will be fined. 400 dirhams and slapped with four black dots.
Children up to four years old must have a child safety seat. Violators will be fined 400 dirhams and slapped with four black dots.
The front seat passenger must also be at least 145 cm tall and at least 10 years old.
educate parents
Edelmann underlined:
“We need to educate parents more as they are the main stakeholders and influencers. We need to strengthen the law enforcement element, for example around schools and nurseries. “We need a mandatory hospital discharge policy for newborns, as federal law, and ideally integrated into child protection law.”
Edelmann underlined.
An infant car seat is designed to protect the baby in the event of an accident by forming a protective cocoon. Newborn seats are positioned rear-facing so that the child is pushed into the seat in a frontal impact, and the shell and inlay protect the child’s spine and vital parts. The upper sides, next to the child’s head, form a “side impact protection system” in the event of a side collision and prevent the child’s head from moving too much.
Seat belts also restrain the child during the ride. They also adjust the child to the safest position and keep him there in the event of a rear or side impact, just like seat belts for adults.
News Source: Khaleej Times
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