Royal Oman Police issues guidelines for child safety

MUSCAT: Children cannot survive longer than five minutes if they are accidentally locked inside a school bus or a car, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) warned on Wednesday.

These safety message was published by officers ahead of the official start of the academic year for public schools in Oman, just a few days before many children all over the Sultanate begin attending classes again.

A statement from the ROP read: “Bus drivers should check that buses are empty when they take children to school and back home. This is to avoid innocent children becoming the victims of incidents in which they suffocate to death.

“Just five minutes can lead to a child suffocating if they are left locked alone in a bus or car when temperatures increase.”

“The buses must also be routinely maintained because vehicles with mechanical malfunctions can catch fire,” the statement added.

Ahmed Al Salti, an Arabic Language teacher at Al Nahdha primary school in Al Amerat, said: “I think that children suffocating inside vehicles is due to bus drivers or parents forgetting the dangers of leaving children alone in vehicles, which has led to these accidents occurring more than once.

“The lack of awareness from bus drivers and a lack of bulletins working to raise awareness among families about this issue also has a role to play,” Al Salti added.

The ROP has said that it will increase the presence of police officers during this period and will send patrols near to schools and along roads leading to schools, in order to ensure that people obey traffic laws