Cape Town - While it will be compulsory for child passengers under the age of three to be strapped into a car seat from April 30, parents of children not strapped in can still claim from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) if the child is injured in an accident.
This is according to RAF spokeswoman Linda Rulashe, who said liability for injured children not strapped into a car seat will not be affected by an amendment to the National Road Traffic Act and the fund will still be liable to pay out a claim even if the injured child was not strapped in.
Usually the person/s injured in the accident (except the driver who caused the accident) can claim from the RAF. This included drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
Children, spouses or other people who depended on the income of a person killed in an accident could also claim from the fund.
In the RAF’s financial update for March, it stated that more than R5 billion was owed to 4 760 service providers and claimants.
Under the amendment to the National Road Traffic Act, motorists caught transporting a child under the age of three without a seatbelt will be fined R200 to R500.
Department of Transport spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso said that car seats for children would have to be SABS-approved to ensure they are of a safe quality. The RAF would not repudiate a claim for a child if a second-hand car seat had been used.
“The RAF supports any road safety measures geared towards preservation of life for all road users,” she said.
Cape Times