Doctors say proper restraints for young passengers are now ‘the need of the hour’

Doctors who have treated car accident victims say the new standards for child car seats are crucial.

“It is the need of the hour,” said Dr Sripradha Sudarsanam, paediatrician at Medcare.

“We have seen many children sustain severe head, neck and spinal injuries. They also suffer severe bleeding and abdominal injuries.”

Proper labelling of car seats, with details of the weight and age of the child for whom it should be bought, and instructions on fitting the seat would save lives, Dr Sudarsanam said.

“There are accidents because of airbag deployment when a child is held on the lap or in the front seat, and on impact the child is smothered by the airbag or sustains thoracic injuries,” she said.

“There have been many instances of car seats that are not latched in properly or were front-facing instead of facing the rear, so the child is not protected. There are so many seats imported from so many different countries.

“This measure will reassure parents that they can buy safe seats as per their budget and they still do not need to worry about quality because the seats will be checked and inspected before being used.

“Car seats are also for particular age groups and when those are written on the seat, then parents will know it’s time to change the seat.”

Parents are often not aware that an accident, even at low speed, could kill a child, Dr Sudarsanam said.

“Even if a collision happens at 40kph to 50kph, it has the same impact as a fall from a height of 30 metres,” she said.

Dr Sudarsanam said that education about safety in cars should begin at pregnancy so that parents were prepared when leaving hospital with their child.

“Education is key and should be discussed by the obstetrician,” she said.

“It should start from the time of pregnancy so parents know they require a rear-facing seat when the baby is born.

“Paediatricians should also talk about the kind of seats to be used as the child grows.”

Dr Ahmed Ghallab, of Zulekha Hospital’s emergency department, said that the shift from recommendation to law was critical.

“Now that it’s a law, people will be obliged to follow it and it will be lifesaving for infants,” Dr Ghallab said.

“Car seats are not a decoration. It’s science and there is a universal standard, so these must be fixed in a proper way to save lives.”

He spelt out some of the effects of collisions on small children.

“Their bones are soft, so even if the ribs are not broken, the impact will transmit the force to their organs and there can be lung contusion,” Dr Ghallab said. “Their abdominal wall is thin and their liver and spleen are not well protected. Abdominal, head injuries and internal bleeding can kill a child.

“Children are so small in size that without a car seat they can be ejected from the car and face more traumatic injuries.”

Parents are unaware of the damage a collision can do to a child who is not properly belted in and whose bones are soft