Keep children safe this festive season, says ChildSafe

AS the long summer holidays draw near, millions of people across the country will be planning long road trips to visit friends and family.

It is a time for relaxation, on the beach, around the pool and around the braai. Tragically, for many families, the summer of fun can become a season of mourning.

Children’s safety advocacy organisation, ChildSafe, is calling on parents and care-givers to be the adult this season, and to prioritise the safety of children under their care.

Yolande Baker, Childsafe executive director said, “Adults need to be vigilant especially when driving or near water.”

“Drowning can happen so quickly, even in circumstances where the most observant adults are present,” added Baker. “It’s a silent killer. A child can slip under the water without a splash and in seconds, before anyone realises what has happened, it’s too late,” she said.

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According to a study by Dr Colleen Saunders (research manager in UCT’s Division of Emergency Medicine) and others, it was found that drowning was the leading cause of death of children and young people worldwide.

Most (78 per cent) drownings mainly happen in large bodies of open water, such as the sea or in dams, with many incidents happening over the summer time (42 per cent) and on public holidays (8 per cent).

Poor supervision, risky behaviour in adults and external environmental factors, such as unpredictable sea currents, unsupervised swimming pools and open buckets were primarily responsible for the deaths.

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“Adult behaviour is a significant factor in road traffic fatalities and injuries, too,” added Baker.

Every year, 13 000 people do not arrive at their holiday destinations because they are killed in road traffic crashes. Another 265 000 people are injured. Many of those who die and are injured are children.

A 2018 study, conducted by Childsafe and UNICEF, identified the two major reasons for vehicle crashes: speed and inadequate restrains in cars.

South African road traffic law stipulates that every child under the age of three must be restrained in an age-appropriate child restraint.

“We are advocating for laws to be imposed that dictate how older children must be restrained. While we wait for legislation to catch up with the public health crisis, we urge all drivers to ensure that every child is securely strapped into a restraint big enough to restrain them in the event of a crash. At the very minimum, children must be restrained by a seatbelt. Holding the child is unsafe. In a crash, the child can be ejected on impact or crushed to death under the adult’s weight,” says Baker. If they are strapped into a restraint designed for their age, children have up to 80 per cent chance of surviving a crash.

Speed is another culprit, she explains, especially in places where children congregate in residential areas and around schools. “The speed limit of 60km/hour is still too high. All evidence indicates that if a child is hit at 30km/hour, they have a 90 per cent chance of surviving the crash. The probability that they will die increases with every kilometre faster the car is moving.”

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