KUALA LUMPUR: It is the responsibility of parents or other adults to ensure the safety of children travelling in vehicles, said the chairman of Alliance of Safe Community, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (pic).
He said studies have shown that children were at greater risk of suffering serious injuries in accidents if they were allowed to sit on others’ laps or on the front passenger seat as they could easily be thrown out of the car or trapped by the airbags activated by the impact of a crash.
“I therefore once again urge all road users to take responsibility to ensure the safety of their passengers. Place the child on the back seat and make sure they wear a seat belt or (use) child safety seat.
“All road users also need to drive carefully and do not race, overtake or drive recklessly on the roads as their irresponsible attitude and action will not only endanger themselves but also other law-abiding road users,” he said.
All parties should abide by the compulsory child safety seat ruling which came into effect this year, he said in a statement today.
He was commenting on the case of a two-year-old boy who was thrown out of his father’s car following a collision at Kilometer 235.5 of the South-North Highway (PLUS) on Monday. The boy miraculously survived, suffering only superficial injuries.
Lee said this case must be taken seriously by all parties and should not be considered as a freak incident.
“It’s hard to imagine a small child his age riding in a car with his mother and father, could be thrown out of the car. It’s even harder to imagine that the boy had landed on the right lane of the middle of the highway, dedicated to speeding vehicles,” he said.
Lee said this incident has raised questions on why the child was not wearing a safety belt or made to sit in a child car seat.
Alliance of Safety Community is a non-governmental organisation which aims to communitise safety and health awareness and make it a Malaysian trait.
Formed in 2018, the organisation comprises retired professionals and those who are still active in their respective industries. – Bernama
