The death on Friday of a Sharjah toddler who was accidentally run over by a car being reversed by her brother is a tragedy for the family and the community. It should also serve as a wake-up call. There have been far too many accidents of this sort. We do not know how many were caused by carelessness but similar accidents claimed the lives of another three-year-old girl in Ras Al Khaimah a week ago, and a two-year-old boy in Fujairah last month. Last year, in Sharjah alone, there were 239 run-over accidents, resulting in 33 deaths.
The northern emirates have been the scene of many such tragedies involving children, but the rest of the country cannot rest easy. Across the UAE, there are high numbers of deaths and injuries from preventable causes – of children who died in locked vehicles, fell from buildings or were burnt by hot liquids in the kitchen; of construction workers and window washers who failed to wear safety gear and harnesses; and, of course, on the roads, where the UAE has one of the world’s highest fatality rates per capita.
As The National has said before, we need to instil a culture of safety in our society. Public awareness campaigns can play an important role. In Fujariah, doctors have called on parents to be aware of the dangers caused by lax safety procedures at home. In Abu Dhabi, a programme called "Train the trainers" educates parents and caregivers about preventing and treating child injuries. The death late last year of a girl who was locked in a school bus has led to an order from the Abu Dhabi Education Council that schools must alert parents when their children do not show up for class. All of these are positive steps forward. And then there are the physical measures. Let's fit bars and locks on the windows of high-rise homes. Let's install rear-facing cameras in cars. More to the point, let's check what's behind before reversing. For, at the end of the day it all comes down to civic sense, common sense and vigilance.
It’s not just parents who must look out for their children, we must all look out for one another. The phrase “safety first” must become second nature.
