Traffic
accidents are the leading cause of death among infants and cause 63% of deaths
among children aged 14 and under in the UAE. The rate of child fatalities
caused by traffic accidents, over 22%, is way above the global average.
However,
only one law has been passed concerning child seats in cars, saying children
aged 10 and over must wear a seat belt in the front passenger seat. The
Ministry of the Interior prohibits children under 10 from sitting there but 28%
of children still do.
The Child
Safety-Car Seat campaign is held annually to raise awareness but an estimated
98% of child passengers are not strapped in. Yet child car restraints can
reduce risks by 50-75%. Statistics worldwide show the efficacy of child and
booster seats in reducing injuries in accidents.
Simple
unawareness seems to be the reason most parents don’t put their children in car
seats in the UAE. Despite several local campaigns wich highlight both the
problem and its solution, over the past decade 2,134 people have been killed
and 23,082 injured in traffic accidents in Dubai alone. In addition to the
various safety campaigns, Chevrolet donates car seats and the Baby Shop supports
annual campaigns, and there has been an increase in car seat sales over the
past 8 years, but it’s still a major problem.
221 words.
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