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Dubai: 450 free car seats gifted to newborns for UAE National Day

The annual initiative by RTA was run in collaboration with UNICEF, public and private entities

Published: Thu 5 Dec 2024, 6:20 PM

Updated: Thu 5 Dec 2024, 11:32 PM

By
Web Desk

Photos: Supplied

Babies born during the UAE National Day weekend were gifted free child car seats, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Thursday.

About 450 child car seats were handed over to mothers who gave birth between December 1 and 5, across 24 hospitals participating in the 'My Baby’s Gift on Eid Al Etihad' initiative.

“The initiative aims to offer every newborn in Dubai hospitals during Eid Al Etihad celebrations with a free child car seat. Hospitals are supplied with many car seats based on the expected number of births during the celebration period, which takes place annually from December 1 to 5,” Hussain Al Banna, CEO of RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency, said.

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‘My Baby’s Gift on Eid Al Etihad’ initiative has distributed over 2,000 child car seats to mothers in hospitals during Eid Al Etihad celebrations over the past five years.

The supporters of the 'My Baby’s Gift on Eid Al Etihad' initiative, include Dubai Police, the Dubai Health Authority, and UNICEF.

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Al Banna stressed the importance of parents ensuring their children are seated in designated car seats while driving. He -added that global studies indicate that properly using child car seats reduces injuries and fatalities among children by 54% and by 71% for newborns. Additionally, child car seats help reduce traffic-related injuries among children aged 4 to 8 years by 45%.

Hussain Al Banna.

“RTA operates according to well-defined plans regularly updated to address the needs of all target groups within the community. These plans encompass a range of activities and initiatives focused on the safety of newborns to ensuring the safety of children and students and extending to all drivers and road users in Dubai,” he stated.

The CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency urged parents to adhere to traffic safety rules while driving. He highlighted the importance of using child car seats when travelling with newborns, emphasising that children under 10 or those shorter than 145 cm are not allowed to sit in the front seat. This violation carries a fine of Dh400. Additionally transporting children aged 4 years and under onboard without appropriate child protection seats also results a fine of Dh400.

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