How to ensure children’s safety on UAE roads

A graphic advertising campaign may be needed to shock people into realising the need for child restraints in cars.

Proposals to enact legislation making car safety seats mandatory for children under the age of eight have been discussed in the UAE for many years. It is now time to revisit the debate, and to look at ways of changing society's perceptions regarding children's safety on the road.
Efforts to convince parents to secure their children in cars – including a scheme to give safety seats away – have not been effective. As The National reported yesterday, a preliminary survey by UAE University found that only 20 per cent of Emirati parents always used a safety seat for children under two, and 40 per cent of parents never used a seat for children between the ages of two and four. The survey also found that even when safety seats were in place, they were not used properly. Only about 30 per cent of survey respondents said that they always buckled the harness, but 16 per cent said they never used the buckle – which can be more dangerous than not using a safety seat at all.
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children under 14 in the UAE. Additionally, 65 per cent of injuries to children are related to road accidents. As road-safety scientist Britta Lang told The National, putting legislation in place will send a strong message to society that children's car seats are a critical safety requirement.
But enacting a law will not work on its own. There should also be a campaign to make parents – and especially mothers – aware of the importance of properly securing children inside a car. A major requirement is to overturn the widely-held notion that a baby or small child is safer being nursed by its mother in the front seat of a car than in its own safety harness or fitted cot. In fact, a child held in such a way is likely to be propelled through the windscreen in the event of a collision. Perhaps it is time for graphic advertisements illustrating this very real danger. This campaign could also be targeted at older women who have influence over the way their grandchildren are raised.
Older children also need to be convinced of the importance of buckling up inside a car. Doctors say that children can be effective in influencing parents who don't use seat belts.
It may take both legislation and an extended, hard-hitting public education campaign, but there can be no doubt that protecting the lives of all car passengers, particularly children, should be a national priority.