Seat belt campaign to focus on children

The campaign will target various shopping malls around the country.

Sawsan Esbaitah, Director of Safe Kids Organisation (SKO), said that the campaign will mainly focus on highlighting the importance of seat belts for children in particular and that parents with children in the car should ensure their children are buckled in before starting the car.

Talking to Khaleej Times Ms Esbaitah said the seat belt law in the UAE was enforced in 1996 with the aim of saving people's lives.

Another law was enacted in 2000 prohibiting children from sitting in the front seat.

"Even though the "front seat" law was imposed in 2000, to this day we can still see a lot of negligent parents seating their children in the front passenger seats, ignoring the fact that they are jeopardising the lives of innocent children in the process. Children are the main victims of road traffic accidents," Ms Esbaitah said.

She said that various booklets highlighting the importance of seat belts have been printed by SKO in both Arabic and English and will be distributed among shopping mall visitors.

Ms. Esbaitah pointed out that road accidents are a global problem in which millions of children aged 14 and below die annually from traumatic injuries. Tragically, this is only a small part of the whole picture as many children suffer from serious life-long disability resulting from such accidents.

"Through out the campaign we will endeavour to curb the practice of seating children in the front seat and we will urge parents to regularly use the children's rear seat belts."

"We need to warn parents of recklessly seating their children in the front seat. Children who are not restrained are more likely to suffer severe injuries or even death in the event of a traffic accident," she added.

High speeds not only increase the chances of an accident but also severely decreases the chances of surviving one. Ms. Esbaitah advised motorists with children in the car to keep in mind that even if their driving skills are excellent, accidents can be caused by other road users, which is an unpredictable element especially at high speeds.

"Slow down and drive safely is the simple message we are trying to convey. Driving wisely will not only save the drivers' lives but their precious passengers lives too. People, and parents in particular, should not even contemplate speeding," she said.

Ms Esbaitah added that the law alone cannot save lives, people need to work hard to abide by the safety rules.

Ms Esbaitah attributed the careless attitude of some parents to their lack of awareness about the fatal consequences and life-long disabilities they might cause to their children in the event of an accident by seating them in the front passenger seat.

Safe Kids Organisation aims to study the main factors that cause accidents involving children and preventing them.

KIDS IN FRONT SEAT STILL A SAFETY RISK

THE lives of many children can be saved if parents buckled them up in the back seats of their cars instead of allowing them to ride in the front, say road-safety experts. They cited research findings that reveal rear seats are 35 per cent safer than front seats.

It said 92 per cent of those under seven wear seat belts, but drivers are still seating 18 per cent of their youngsters next to them, increasing the likelihood of serious or even fatal injury.

"There are new parents every day, and even old parents need to be reminded how to transport their children to minimize danger in a crash."

Children under the age of 12 should never sit in a front seat, said one expert, whether or not the vehicle is equipped with airbags.

"The biggest difference is being in the back seat, away from that point of impact and away from where the child would go into the hard structures of the vehicle," such as the windshield and dashboard, says Dr. Marilyn Bull of the American Academy of Paediatrics.

Children are more likely to be restrained properly when the driver is belted, safety experts added.

Four guidelines that every parent should follow

The importance of abiding by rules cannot be overstressed.

Most young passengers between the ages of four and eight need booster seats to prevent serious injury or death in the event of a crash but unfortunately only about 15 per cent of this age group actually uses them."

Road safety is no accident.

All children under the age of 13 should ride in the rear seat of motor vehicles. Parents should also follow these four guidelines to protect children in motor vehicles:

1. Rear-facing infant seats: Newborn to 1-year-old and up to 20 pounds.

2. Forward-facing child safety seats: 1-4 years old, between 20-40 pounds. Parents are encouraged to keep their children "rear facing" to the upper weight limit of the seat if they have a "convertible" (both front and rear facing) child safety seat.

3. Booster seats: Up to age 8 or about 4'9" tall. The use of both a lap and shoulder belt is critical.

4. Adult safety belts : Age 8 and older, at least 4'9" tall.

Again, a lap and shoulder safety belt combination is critical to the safety of these children.