Cabinet approves policy on child car seats to reduce injuries

The UAE Cabinet has approved a draft local policy to regulate child car seats in vehicles, as suggested by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology and its technical regulations.

The draft policy aims to implement the highest standards of security and safety for children in vehicles, with the aim of enhancing their quality of life and reducing the rate of local accidents involving children.

Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, State Minister and Chairman of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, stressed that the new policy will reduce the rate of accidents involving children. "Studies have shown that collisions involving children without a seat belt while going through a windshield of a vehicle running at 50 kilometres per hour, is equivalent to the fall of an individual from the third floor of a building. Therefore, it is considered a deadly accident," he added.

He noted that the correct implementation of related policies and regulations will increase the likelihood of protecting children inside vehicles during accidents, adding that this is a practical step in reducing the rate of deaths, and will achieve the introduction of the highest international safety and security standards.

He also stressed that the correct implementation of this policy will contribute to regulating the child car seat market in the UAE, and reduce serious injuries and deaths among infants in accidents. He added that the new policy will provide safeguards for the public regarding safety-related products, through regulations, laws and resolutions that aim to promote safety and protect lives.

He also stressed that the UAE’s policy to regulate child car seats in vehicles complies with the new amendments to the federal traffic law, which was approved by H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and came into force at the beginning of July 2017.

The new policy also obliges drivers to provide child car seats for children under the age of four while all government authorities are working under general directives, which aim to enhance services and achieve the highest indexes of safety and security, he added.

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