Buckle Up!

 

BMW representatives came to TCG on 15 June to donate free car booster seats for children.  TCG is the first school they have come to with this initiative, and the good news is that in the next Academic Year they plan to target a lot more.  

 

Child restraints reduce infant deaths by approximately 70%.

 

So what IS the ‘right’ restraint? 0 – 1 year olds (or infants weighing less than 13kg) should have a rear-facing seat to provide the best protection.   1 – 4 year olds (or children weighing less than 18kg) should use a safety seat which has a back.   4 – 6 year olds (or children shorter than 145 cm) should have a booster seat.   6 – 12 year olds (or children weighing between 22-36kgs) should have a booster ‘cushion’ for optimum safety.

 

Leanne Blanckenberg, Corporate Communications Manager for BMW Group Middle East, and Katarina Assarsjo, from D’Events, the Events company working with BMW on this programme, were kept busy dishing out seats and advice in TCG’s Reading Majlis during their visit.   “The whole point of this project,” explained Leanne, “is to promote the use of seatbelts and child car seat restraints.  BMW has teamed up with the RTA to spread this word and help do our bit to reduce the number of unnecessary injuries on the roads.”

The Middle East as a region has the world’s third highest statistics for road accidents, after Angola and Eritrea.  This is most unusual for an educated, literate society.

 

“RTA statistics show that the majority of child deaths and injuries in the UAE are the result of road accidents,” confirmed Leanne.  “And it’s just due to irresponsible attitudes towards car safety and people not taking the right precautions.  Official figures show that 37% of children in the UAE do not use child restraints when travelling in the car.  We want to improve that statistic.”

 

Many people think that once a child has outgrown the actual seat, they don’t need a seat any more.  But it’s safest by far to have the booster seat or cushion. 

 

And car safety is an easy philosophy to implement and instill in children, as Leanne explains: “Booster seats give the child ownership of their own seat, makes them feel special and even feel more grown up as it elevates them, giving them that extra height, so they can see more out of the window and engage more. If you get your child using a car seat from an early age, it becomes automatic for them – they get used to driving, buckling up and being safe.  But if you don’t use a seat until the child is three or four, then it’s harder to introduce it and encourage them to like it. “Another important point is that a child under 12 years should be strapped up in the back and not in the passenger seat.  It’s much safer in the back – if you do have an accident, most of the time the major impact is on the front of the car.”

Some good, common-sense dos and don’ts…

DO:

·       DO lead by example – educate your children about the importance of buckling up by doing it yourself.

·       DO insist that all passengers, in the front and rear, are appropriately buckled up in your vehicle.

·       DO make sure you use the right restraint system for your child, as use of the wrong one could put your child at a higher risk of injury or death

·       DO ensure that all children under the age of 12 are properly restrained in the rear of the car and not in the front.

·       DO understand that the safety of your child is solely your responsibility – always ensure they are properly restrained.

 

DON’T:

·       DON’T drive unless every passenger in your car is using appropriate restraints

·       DON’T drive with rear seat passengers unrestrained

·       DON’T hold your child in your arms anywhere in your car.  Your child needs to be in an appropriate restraint in the rear of your car

·       DON’T give in to your child complaining about discomfort of the restraint – their safety is your ultimate responsibility

·       DON’T use an adult seat belt for children.  They should be in appropriate child seats.