Always set a good example by wearing your seat belt in your vehicle while travelling and by so doing, you will be saving lives.
An emergency can strike when you least expect it.
The festive season is here, and many families will be travelling long distances to different parts of the country to be with their loved ones, while others will be visiting places of interest during the holiday season.
Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) has a number of tips for motorists in order to try lessen the statistics of fatal crashes on the roads.
“It has come to the attention of DEMS when attending vehicle crashes that many fatalities are as a result of drivers and passengers not buckling up while travelling,” said district manager media liaison for DEMS William Ntladi.
“The most vulnerable are children who have not placed in correct restraining travelling seats specially made for their tiny bodies.
“It is common practice that motorists still travel with children placed on front seats without safety devices.
“Some other motorists drive vehicles with children placed in between the steering and themselves as drivers while driving.
“Children are also allowed to stand in between the two front seats without any safety precautions taken into consideration.”
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What does the law and safety practices say regarding vehicle safety?
• Legislation stipulates that everyone in a motor vehicle should wear a seat belt while the vehicle is in motion.
• It is the driver’s responsibility and legal obligation to ensure that children are buckled up in a vehicle, in the correct safety seat.
• It is not safe to hold your baby or child in your arms while the vehicle is in motion.
• Children placed on the lap of a person in the car are highly exposed to intense injuries or even death even if the vehicle is travelling at the speed of about 60km/h and that vehicle comes to sudden stop or is involved in a crash. In some instances, babies and children are ejected from the vehicle through the windscreen or windows of the vehicle.
• Unrestricted children are prone to crash against the interior of the vehicle when it comes to sudden stop and this can be fatal.
• Never buckle two children in one seat belt. It is a dangerous practice and could lead to serious injuries.
• Travelling unrestricted in vehicles such as bakkies and station wagons is also dangerous.
Emergency services officials have been rolling out the Buckle Up Campaign at malls in Ekurhuleni, at the toll gates on the N17 highway, at filling stations and at major taxi ranks.
The campaign will run until mid-January 2020.
DEMS pleads with motorists to be cooperative as this is a safety concern for everyone.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Ashley Kiley (Journalist) ashleyk@caxton.co.za.
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