New child car seat regulation
Motorists that have children under the age of three unrestrained in a vehicle will be issued a fine.
ER24 has welcomed the new regulation to the National Road Traffic Act that aims to protect children by use of a child car seat.The use of a child car seat for all children under the age of three will be compulsory in this new regulation, which will commence from May 1.
Several motorists still refuse to take seriously the constant warnings and calls by emergency services and authorities to have children properly restrained in vehicles.
On a daily basis while on the road young children are jumping on back seats, hanging out of windows and sitting on passenger’s laps.
ER24 says upon speaking to parents, some will tell you that they never grew up with child car seats and they survived.
Parents may also tell you that their children do not like being restrained and cry constantly, while some parents insist you not tell them what to do with their children, but times have changed.
With the drastically increased number of cars, buses, bikes and other modes of transport people are surrounded by everyday, and the number of distractions on the road, there is no better and safer option but to have a child restrained.
ER24 and other emergency services attend to horrific collisions involving children on a weekly basis, where the majority of unrestrained children are flung out of vehicles and either sustain critical injuries or die in collisions.
For those parents who cannot afford new car seats, there are organisations that sell second-hand car seats or hand them out for an affordable donation.
While the law forces parents to use child car seats for children under the age of three, this does not mean that adults should ignore the need to restrain older children.
What is the appropriate restraint for your child?
- Infants should ride rear-facing until they are at least a year old.
- When they have outgrown this seat, they should use a forward-facing safety seat with a full harness.
- Children who have outgrown a convertible safety seat should use a booster seat until they are at least four feet.
- Children who are tall enough to wear an adult seat belt should still ride in the back seat until they are 13-years-old.
