'Child death toll on SA roads can be halved if they wear seatbelts'

The statistics are staggering with 85% of children in South Africa still travelling in motor vehicles without wearing their seatbelts‚ despite this being against the law.

This is according to David Roache of online insurer dotsure.co.za‚ who says that this contributes to the unacceptably high mortality and injury rate for children on our roads.

“We believe that this figure could be reduced by around half if the correct child safety seat is always used‚” he said.

To kick off National Child Protection Week on Friday (27 May 2016)‚ dotsure.co.za and the non-governmental organisation Wheel Well set up a high-visibility joint operation within the school parking area of Eastleigh Primary School in Edenvale. Parents arrived at school to drop off their children‚ and were informed about National Child Protection Week‚ and reminded about the “buckle up” legislation.

A total of 40 car seats were also donated to parents at the ‘mock road block’.

“We have to focus on the Road Safety aspect of Children’s Rights to Safety during National Child Protection Week. Children are our most vulnerable road users and it is our duty as drivers to look out for them and make sure they remain safe as passengers and pedestrians‚” said Peggie Mars of Wheel Well.

Parents who own a child car seat that they no longer use are asked to consider donating it to a deserving family via the NGO‚ contactable on 072-385-7121 or 073-393-7356. Wheel Well will safety check‚ clean and refurbish all donated seats before passing them on to families in need.

subscribe

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.