Dubai hospitals launch child car seat initiative

CRASH INITIATIVE: Dubai hospitals are urging new mums to take home a child car seat to help reduce car crash injuries and deaths. (Getty Images)

New mothers in Dubai will be dissuaded from leaving hospital without an appropriate child car seat under new proposals to lower child injuries and deaths as a result of car crashes.

Around 1,000 children are injured every year in the emirate in traffic incidents; the majority of which are traffic-related, according to information released by the Department of Health and Medical Services and the Road Traffic Authority.

No child-safety laws for children travelling in vehicles, such as mandating the use of car seats or seatbelts for young children, currently exist in Dubai.

Under the initiative, launched at Al Wasl Hospital last month, new parents will be asked to sign up to the Safe Kids programme that will push the use of child car seats, educate parents on using them and offer information on how to ensure the safety of children while traveling.

However, parents will not be barred from taking newborns home if they do not have a suitable seat, Alison Ramsey, director of nursing at Al Wasl said.

“They are going to be encouraged to have a car seat. I don’t think we can bar them from leaving at the moment, but in the UK you would not let them take home a baby without one.”

One option could be for hospitals to loan car seats to new parents, she added. “It’s a big issue in Dubai that children are not strapped into the cars and we really have to start the ball rolling with car safety.”

The initiative will be rolled out to Dubai Hospital this month before becoming an emirate-wide initiative next year.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

Seat Belts
Posted by David Stokes, Dubai on Friday 31 October 2008 at 10:05 UAE time


This is a great initiative, I have lived in the Middle East for several years and it always seems a mystery to me how regional families increase the opportunity for injury and death for children in a car. Middle Eastern families worship and cherish their children as much as anybody in the world yet they fail to see the daily danger they put them in on the roads here. The more publicity the better.

Finally!
Posted by SK, London, UK on Thursday 30 October 2008 at 18:49 UAE time


... the quicker UAE population move to a culture of "loving your children means strapping them safely into a car seat" the better for everyone. The number of people who think holding the child in their arms in the back seat is a safe approach is staggering. Education through initiatives is well overdue, especially in a country where Road Traffic Accidents are so high above the average. Child death through lack of a car seat is unforgivable.

Child Safety in Cars
Posted by Jackie Gloster, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 30 October 2008 at 12:18 UAE time


I cannot believe there isn't a law making it compulsory for children to wear seat belts? What can we do about this? I see every day children "floating" around in cars, not belted up, but their parents are!!! No common sense abounds and the fact that it will never happen to them. Until it does.

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM