Wheel Well opens new Bedfordview car seat store to improve child road safety
The non-profit organisation's new Car Seats for Kids hub will help collect, refurbish and redistribute donated child car seats to families across South Africa.
Wheel Well, a child passenger safety non-profit organisation, officially opened its new Car Seats for Kids store, located next to Supa Quick in Bedfordview, on June 5.
The NPO launched the initiative on the final day of Child Protection Week.
The new store creates a larger, more accessible home for the initiative, which has already helped more than 12,000 children gain access to safe child restraints.
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Opened in partnership with Supa Quick, a longstanding supporter of the initiative and national collection partner for donated car seats, the store will serve as Wheel Well’s operational hub for Car Seats for the Kids. From this central location, donated child car seats will be collected, cleaned, safety-checked and redistributed to families across South Africa, helping to expand access to safe child passenger transportation.
Speaking at the opening, Wheel Well founder and child road safety advocate Peggie Mars said the new premises represent an important step forward for the organisation and the families it serves.
“For years, we operated from a location that many people struggled to find. This new store gives us the visibility and accessibility we need to support more families, receive more donations and continue growing the impact of the Car Seats for Kids campaign,” she said.
As part of the opening, Wheel Well also hosted a child car seat distribution drive, providing families with access to safe, appropriate child restraints while demonstrating the campaign’s direct impact.
Addressing guests at the launch, Supa Quick Brand manager Yolandi Grundeling said the partnership began after the company learnt about Wheel Well’s work and recognised the difference it was making in communities.
“Wheel Well is about far more than car seats. Through education initiatives, child passenger safety training and awareness campaigns, the organisation has touched countless lives and helped make South Africa’s roads safer for children. We are proud to support this important work and celebrate this new chapter,” she said.
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The Car Seats for Kids campaign provides parents with an opportunity to donate outgrown child car seats while helping families who may otherwise not have access to appropriate child restraints. Over the years, the initiative has become a recognised voice in child passenger safety and road safety education.
The need remains significant. According to the latest Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) figures, 1,217 children aged between zero and 14 lost their lives on South African roads in 2024.
Through car seat redistribution, education and awareness initiatives, Wheel Well, together with Supa Quick, continues to work towards reducing these preventable tragedies.
South Africans with unused or outgrown child car seats are encouraged to donate them at their nearest Supa Quick fitment centre nationwide.
Donated seats are professionally cleaned, safety-checked, and redistributed to families in need through the Car Seats for Kids campaign, helping more children travel safely on South Africa’s roads.
The car seats are provided free of charge. People are encouraged to donate if they can, as this helps maintain the service of cleaning the car seats so they’re fresh and new before they’re given to the next family.
