On my drive to work this morning I witnessed yet another parent driving along with their child – who must have been no more than three years of age – seated in the front passenger seat without a safety belt, car seat or booster seat. The mother had even thoughtfully attached a fluffy toy to the dashboard for the child’s entertainment. This meant the little girl was either bouncing up and down all over the place, standing on the seat to play with the toy, or leaning her head against the dashboard to look at it.
In Singapore, seatbelt legislation is a little confusing. It is actually illegal for a child aged below 8 years or 1.5 metres in height to wear a safety belt – seems ridiculous, but authorities believe it is not safe. However, it is also illegal for a child aged below 8 years or 1.5 metres in height to ride in a car WITHOUT a baby capsule, suitable car seat or suitable booster seat – all of which must be secured with a safety belt. I think many people let their kids run loose in cars as a result of the first law, but have no idea of the second. For further clarification click here
I dread to think of the number of children who have suffered serious head injuries or death thanks to the “thoughtful” care of their parents – who mistakenly believe seatbelts are dangerous. Seatbelts and child safety restraints SAVE lives. 31 years ago my brother and sister, who are twins, were involved in a serious car accident at around 18 months of age. Thanks to being restrained in child seats secured with safety belts, the worst injury they received was their shock at the collision and my mother’s tears. And that was 31 years ago! How much have child safety restraints improved since then I wonder. And if it wasn’t for a friend deciding to “click clack” his seatbelt just minutes before a horrific car crash here in Singapore, he would have lost his life – which is exactly what happened to the other passenger on the backseat next to him, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
Everyone who gets in my car has to “click, clack, front and back” and while some colleagues have griped and moaned about my “rules” I do hope it’s made them think a little more about how they care for their own friends and family when driving. It’s a personal responsibility to wear a seatbelt, but it’s also the driver’s responsibility to ensure EVERY passenger is safe and secure. How some parents can think that rule of logic applies to them but not their precious children is beyond me. I only wish there was a stronger enforcement of regulations, for the sake of everyone’s safety.
Australian mother Susie Lawson, a former resident of Singapore, was strapping her newborn child into a baby capsule to travel home from Thomson Medical Centre, when she noticed many other new parents waiting in the taxi queue with their newborn babies in their arms - and no baby capsule in sight. When she queried this with one grandmother, she was assured holding onto the baby was much safer – didn’t she know this?
Horrified, Susie wrote a letter which resulted in a five-month long campaign supported by VOLVO, Thomson Medical Centre and Singapore Traffic Police, ensuring all newborn children travelled home within a vehicle with proper child safety restraints installed – something which is mandatory in many other countries. Unfortunately the campaign is now long over, hasn’t been renewed and parents are back in the queue with their babes in arms…
So how do we move forward? How do we create change? How do we save lives? I’d love to hear your ideas - please share. In the meantime, I’ll be taking note of every registration number of every car of every parent who puts their child’s life at risk. And I’ll be writing regular letters to the Singapore Traffic Polic of my own. I’m not sure if it will do any good, but if even one parent receives a warning letter and it causes them to stop and think, it’ll be worth it.
Great post and food for thought! It would be appropriate to lobby the LTA land Transport Authority in Singapore on the issue you have raised. LTA and companies with road responsibilities such as COMFORT and CITYCAB could consider working together to build awareness and promote child (and adult) safety in vehicles. Essentially a campaign of this nature would engage the community and reinforce government views to build a better, stronger, safer Singapore. I say “want to find out more about the injuries cased to adults and children alike in minor road accidents- Don’t wear a seatbelt!
Hi John - you’re totally right. If anyone out there is actioning such a campaign do let The Finder know, we’d be more than happy to offer publicity and media support!