PETALING JAYA: A child sitting on a parent’s lap may feel safe, but in a crash, the consequences can be dire.
On June 2, a one-month old baby boy was injured he was thrown from a car in a collision involving two vehicles in Melaka.
The baby was in his mother’s lap in a rear passenger seat.
A day later, five family members – including a baby girl – were killed in a crash in Serian, Sarawak.
The baby girl is believed to have been thrown out of the vehicle during the accident.
While the use of child restraint systems (CRS) have been mandatory since Jan 1, 2020, its adoption remains low according to a study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).
Miros chairman Prof Wong Shaw Voon said that at least a third of the parents or caregivers surveyed had not used the CRS.
The study from 2024 comprised 500 respondents.
“Child restraints are crucial as they serve the purpose of limiting a child’s movement in a vehicle. The seats are also tailored towards different ages, weight and height, hence using the appropriate one is equally important,” he said.
Benefits of using the CRS, he said, goes beyond just complying with legal requirements.
“They cultivate good habits. When used from a young age, it lets children know that they have to be buckled in when entering a vehicle.
“Being restrained also lets the child know that the interior of a vehicle is not a playground and they should remain put,” he added.
Road safety expert Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua said child restraints should be seen from the lens of public health and social norms rather than just complying with legal requirements.
“Some people may still believe that they have control over their child when driving.
“Public campaigns should show why this assumption is not necessarily true as most accidents happen during regular situations,” he said.
Law, who heads Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Road Safety Research Centre, said affordability and accessibility issues could also be considered to ensure lower income groups have access to safety seats.
“The healthcare and antenatal sector should also be involved as they can assist in creating awareness from early on,” he said.
Law said the risk of fatal injuries among children fastened with child restraints can be reduced between 54% and 71% depending on the child’s age and the vehicle type.
Citing analyses by the United States’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, he said serious injuries also reduced by 67% or more.
“The effectiveness of the child seat also depends on its appropriate make and selection, according to the child’s age, size, height and weight,” he said.
According to Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh, child passengers who are not fastened with CRS can easily sustain injuries when hitting hard objects at speeds exceeding 40kph.
“This can be more severe if the body is flung outside and comes into contact with an oncoming vehicle or is run over,” he said.
He said the Transport Ministry should also speed up amendments related to the revamp of the Kejara, better known as the Demerit Points System for Traffic Offences.
Last September, a toddler died in a multiple-vehicle crash at the Bukit Kajang toll plaza.
Preliminary findings found that the toddler was not in a child seat and was thrown from the vehicle upon impact when a lorry crashed into three other vehicles.
Source: child-restraint-seats-crucial-for-safety
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Kritik.com.my. As an open platform, we welcome diverse perspectives, but the accuracy and integrity of contributed content remain the responsibility of the individual writer. Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate the information presented.