Insurers dotsure.co.za together with Non-Governmental Organisation, Wheel Well recently kicked off their first series of educational school talks for this year.
These talks held at various primary schools are in line with the dotsure.co.za Car Seat Safety Cause which was launched in September last year during Child Passenger Safety Week.
In terms of Amendment 22 of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996, the driver of the vehicle will be guilty of a criminal offence if any occupants are not restrained when the vehicle is equipped with seat belts or car safety seats. The law now also states that every child under the age of three must be strapped into an appropriate car safety seat or booster seat to help prevent serious injury in the event of a vehicle collision.
The statistics are staggering, with 85 percent of children in South Africa still travelling in motor vehicles without wearing their seat belts. David Roache of dotsure.co.za said that this contributes to the unacceptably high mortality and injury rate for children on the roads.
“We believe that this figure could be reduced by around half if the correct child safety seat is always used.”
On 9 May, dotsure.co.za and Wheel Well held an educational talk at Bryanston Primary School and addressed about 500 pupils from Grade 4 to 7. An informative, yet fun presentation by Peggie Mars from Wheel Well communicated the dangers of not buckling up. Pupils also had the opportunity to hear about 24-year-old Nicole Melck who is a car crash survivor and now an ambassador for the Car Seat Safety Cause.
Melck was 12 years old when the vehicle her family was travelling in was involved in a head-on collision. Nicole was not wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash.
Leon Botha, principal of Bryanston Primary School, expressed his gratitude to dotsure.co.za and Wheel Well ‘for promoting road safety within the community’.
A total of five car seats were also donated by the school to Wheel Well, who will refurbish and safety check them before making them available for parents who are in need of seats.
Mars said, “Just taking a few minutes before you set off on your car journey, no matter how short, to properly strap your child in can mean the difference between life and death or severe and debilitating injury for your child.”
Details: 011 706 1263; dotsure.co.za
