Johannesburg - The Minister of Transport has introduced a new regulation to the National Road Traffic Act whereby officially as of 1 May, all children under three-years-old will have to be strapped into a car seat when travelling in a car.
Previously, persons older than three years had to be buckled up but there was no stipulation enforcing drivers to ensure that children younger than this were safely restrained in a car seat. The new provision doesn’t apply in a case of a minibus, midibus or bus operating for reward, where passengers aren’t legally obliged to buckle up.
“This new legislation in South Africa addresses a void which has for a number of years frustrated all those so deeply concerned with the safety of our children on the roads,” says a spokesman for Arrive Alive.
“We have unfortunately too often seen a disregard for this road legislation and have seen far too many children not buckled up, standing on the back seats of cars or between the front seats of vehicles,” he adds.
“The effectiveness of the car seats legislation will depend on the ability of our traffic officers to enforce the legislation in a manner that is effective and non-corruptible.”
THE BENEFITS OF BUCKLING UP
Every scientific study undertaken has shown that seatbelts are the most effective method of reducing death and serious injury during a crash. SA could probably reduce its annual road deaths by a third if everybody buckled up. In a crash, people have a five-times greater chance of survival if they stay in the vehicle instead of being thrown out.
You need to buckle up even if your car has airbags. Airbags are a supplement to seatbelts, not a substitute. Seatbelts aren’t only necessary at high speeds, as around 80% of deaths and serious injuries occur in vehicles travelling under 80km/h.
A common excuse for not buckling up is that it’s safer without a belt in case the car burns or sinks in water, but less than 0.5% of all injury-producing collisions involve fire or submersion. Restraint buckles are also designed to be released with one hand after a collision.
Holding an unbuckled child on your lap won’t protect them in a crash, as you won’t be able to hold on and prevent them from flying through the windscreen. Babies and small children require a child seat, as an adult safety belt can cause the lap belt to ride up over the stomach and the shoulder belt to cut across the neck, potentially causing the child serious abdominal or neck injuries.
A booster seat can improve the seat belt fit when your child is too big for a forward facing child seat and too small for an adult belt. As a general guide, buy a rigid booster seat with a back, side wings and a sash guide to keep the seat belt in place.
Pretoria News Motoring