Travel safely this Easter: Car safety tips for your littlest passengers
More and more often paramedics responding to accidents across the country were finding that children had been critically injured or killed because they were not restrained in a car seat or, if they were older, were not wearing a seat belt.
THE Netcare 911 media liaison officer, Chris Botha, is appealing to parents who will be on the road these holidays to do their best to keep their precious little passengers safe.
More and more often paramedics responding to accidents across the country were finding that children had been critically injured or killed because they were not restrained in a car seat or, if they were older, were not wearing a seat belt, he said.
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“Every day while we travel on the roads we observe little children standing in between the front seats of car, lying asleep on seats, or sitting on mom or dad’s lap. This is very bad and a reckless practice.
If for some reason the driver has to do an emergency stop, the child will be flung forward at a high speed and will crash into the windshield, or the back of seats. Heaven forbid that the car overturns and the child is then ejected from the vehicle and lands on the road or under the vehicle, – Chris Botha
Chris offered some hints are keeping children safe while travelling:
- Never share a seatbelt with a child.
- Never transport a child on a passenger’s lap.
- Never leave the straps of a child’s car seat undone.
- Always transport a child in a car seat suitable for his or her weight.
- A child under 12 years or shorter than 150cm is safest in the back seat.
- Baby seats should be rear facing for as long as possible.
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