Bid to keep kids safe in vehicles

40% of child deaths linked to car crashes

AT LEAST 40% of child deaths at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital are caused by car accidents.

This is an estimate given by the director of clinical governance at the hospital, Dr Mpumzi Mdledle, who was speaking yesterday when the Road Accident Fund (RAF) handed over 20 car seats to mothers of newborn babies.

Mdledle said correctly installed car seats could reduce the risk of deaths by at least 70%, adding it was important to teach people about the safety benefits of a car seat.

“We often see children jumping on back seats, hanging out of windows and sitting on passengers’ laps, and this is worrying because when we assess the admissions of these accident cases, you feel like the extent of the child’s injuries would not be so bad if there was a car seat,” Mdledle said.

He said the majority of unrestrained children were flung out of the vehicle on impact and either sustained critical injuries or died.

He said he hoped the initiative would raise parents’ awareness of the importance of a car seat and general road safety measures.

“Many parents believe that there is nothing wrong with letting a child roam free in the car and they do not believe it is a necessity.”

RAF Eastern Cape general manager Pinky Badi said the campaign was aimed at reducing the number of vehicle-related child fatalities as well as educating motorists on the importance of using car seats.

“People still see it [car seats] as a luxury, when it actually can save your child’s life,” she said.

“We have a responsibility as RAF to assist the department of transport in promoting road safety because if we can reduce the number of accidents on the road, RAF will pay out less to accident victims and then those funds can be used to assist with other services that need attention in communities, such as housing, health and even education.”

Badi said another motive for the campaign was the new regulation of the National Road Traffic Act, passed last year, which states that children under the age of three will be required by law to be secured in a car seat if they travel by car.

“Car seats are expensive and, secondly, our people are really not educated on the actual benefits,” Badi said.

“Also, we never grew up with child car seats – we actually believe that placing your child on your lap while you drive is a sign of love and care.”

New mother Lihle Memo said her life would be turned upside down if she were to lose her child in an accident, but she had never before seen the need for a car seat.

However, she would be educating other mothers on the safety benefits. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za