MPATT: Children unsafe with Trini drivers

The safety of children travelling in cars has been taken for granted, and for too long children have been left unrestrained and unprotected in motor vehicles, the Medical Professionals Association of TT (MPATT) said in a media release.

MPATT appealed for parents to protect children travelling in vehicles. The association said it seems to be part of TT culture for parents to allow children to sit and stand between the front seats or play in the back seats “and sometimes hang their heads out of the car window.” It said an even worse practice is parents holding children in their lap in the front seat on the passenger or driver’s side. While most parents have been fortunate not to have had any untoward events, there are those who have been involved in motor vehicle accidents which have resulted in deaths.

MPATT has issued the following tips to improve car road safety  1. Children of all ages should be restrained in appropriate car seats fastened in the backseat of the car. Rear-facing infant seats are generally suitable for babies up to 22 pounds (about 10 kgs) roughly 12 months. Although they can be fitted in the front if absolutely necessary, it is safer to install all child car seats in the back of the car. As your child grows, they will quickly exceed the manufacturer’s recommendations for using a rear-facing infant seat. For children older than one year and heavier than 20 pounds (9.1 kgs) a forward-facing seat is suitable. Booster seats are available for older children.

When a child is too big for a harnessed car seat, it is time to use a booster seat. A child is considered “too big” if he or she exceeds the manufacturer’s weight limit or his or her head is higher than the top of the seat. Usually a child will need a booster seat between the ages of four and six years. Parents are advised not to use regular car seat belts until they fit the child properly — usually when the child is eight years old or already 4ft 9 in. The child will not be ready to use regular seat belts until they fit correctly, when the shoulder strap fits across the shoulder and not the neck, and lap belt fits across his hips not stomach.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recommended that children up to 12 years ride in the backseat. It also advised that car seats should not be placed in the front seat, especially in cars with air bags. An unrestrained child is a loose missile in an impact, and will be thrown from the vehicle through the windscreen. NHTS said under no circumstances should a child be carried on the parent’s lap in the front seat. If a collision occurs the child would be crushed between the parent’s body and the dashboard. It also warned against overloading cars, carrying children (and adults) in the open trays of trucks and pick-ups, leaving children alone in cars with the engine running for air conditioning, speeding/reckless driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol.