Child seats must be SABS approved

If you have an old car seat, you are invited to donate it and keep a child safe.

If you have an old car seat, you are invited to donate it and keep a child safe.

Published Apr 2, 2015

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Cape Town - Child passengers under three years old must be strapped into a SABS-approved car seat – failing that, the driver will be fined.

This is according to Department of Transport spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso, who said this was the only way to ensure children are not travelling in an inferior-quality car seat.

“Parents should also ensure that the specific car seat is appropriate for the child’s age. Car seats are available for kids up to the age of nine years,” Rikhotso said.

Rikhotso admitted that few consumers would be able to afford a one-off minimum of R800 for a new car seat, but said they should ask themselves if they would afford to put a price tag on their child’s safety.

PAY THE PRICE!

“We expect parents to value the life of their children enough to pay the price if they cut down on other expenses as this will just be a once-off expenditure. Parents will just have to carry this cost,” he said.

He added that the government did not have the resources to subsidise car seats for motorists who cannot afford it, but urged people not using car seats to donate it to those who needed them.

Arrive Alive also advised people who cannot purchase new car seats to either purchase a second-hand one or obtain one from organisations that donated them.

Wheel Well is an organisation that donates child safety seats as a “seat exchange” where lower-income families can receive child restraints in return for an affordable donation.

According to its website http://www.wheelwell.co.za, the seats are thoroughly cleaned and checked for defects before they were put into stock.

Several attempts to get comment from the Road Accident Fund senior communications manager Linda Rulashe drew a blank yesterday.

Cape Times

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