Clampdown on errant parents

Campaign fines drivers for not buckling up young children, but ‘more to be done’

SEVENTY-TWO people have been fined in the Western Cape since the regulations making it mandatory for young children to be buckled up in “age-appropriate car seats” became effective five months ago. Under the amendments to the National Road Traffic Act, aimed at protecting passengers aged three and younger, parents who do not buckle up their children face fines.

Road users older than three have always had to wear seatbelts.

Pat Curran, deputy director of provincial traffic services in the Western Cape, estimated the compliance rate at between 30 and 40 percent.

The fine for not strapping in a young child is R500.

Curran said it was difficult to compare this with previous years because the regulations were new.

The department had received some complaints from parents who were worried about the price of child restraints. “We will continue to engage with parents and drivers to make sure children are safely restrained,” he said.

Transport and public works MEC Donald Grant said: “Age-appropriate car seats are effective because the car seat harness and vehicle seatbelt are positioned over the parts of a child’s body that are most likely to absorb the force of a crash.”

Last week, traffic officials in Joburg said that despite the slow start to the campaign, relative progress had been made, with several motorists being slapped with fines.

The jury is still out on whether road fatalities involving young children have decreased.

Last month, the traffic authority held a law enforcement operation in Klerksdorp which focused on educating the public on the need to restrain children. Zwane said they had learnt from the blitz that many parents buckled up, but left their children unsecured.

Although the operation has been hailed a success, some organisations advocating for children’s safety said more work needed to be done.

Peggie Mars, founder of Wheel Well which collects new and used car seats and gives them to parents who can’t afford them, said: “We can’t see whether the stats have come down. They do not exist on South African roads. We also can’t account for

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28

2015 the deaths of these children individually.”

Mars said there was still a demand for the seats at her Randburg Brightwater Commons store and areas countrywide.

“We’ve handed over 5 000 seats. It’s not just about car seats, but it’s looking if parents are educated. We are doing our big October drive. This year we are going to Cape Town. We are working with KFM and hope to give away the seats on November 3.”

Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport spokesman Sam Monareng said: “The minister has always maintained that if parents can afford to have cars and buy gadgets for their cars, they can surely afford car seats.”