Sitting Tight: Protecting your child on the move

Laranzo Dacres, Sunday Gleaner Writer

AS A mother's womb protects her unborn child, so should any child seat she considers for her vehicle.

Dr Tamra Tomlinson, paediatrician and president of the Paediatric Association of Jamaica (PAJ), told Automotives a child car seat is a very important device, the use of which she believes should be mandatory in Jamaica.

"Child safety seats have been shown to significantly reduce the mortality rate among children involved in traffic accidents," said Dr Tomlinson, mother of two. Kimone Cameron, accountant and mother, believes the added protection of a child car seat gives a mother one less thing to worry about.

"Because a child is so small, regular car seats are not made to protect them, especially at an early age," Cameron said. "It (the car safety seat) provides an added protection for my daughter in the event of an accident, so I ensure that she travels in one all the time," she said.

Dr Tomlinson told Automotives that in some countries, mothers are not permitted to leave hospitals without having a safety seat in their vehicles.

"All babies should have one. They even have those for premature babies," Dr Tomlinson said. "Up to a year old, or when the infant reaches around 10 kilograms, which is the average weight of a one-year-old, he or she should travel in a rear-facing safety seat in the back seat of a car."

In fact, the PAJ president said the best safety seats are the ones equipped with a five-point harness.

Kenute Hare, director of the Road Safety Unit, said the protective-devices regulation speaks to motorists transporting their children in a "dignified manner".

"Unfortunately, many motorists violate the law by having children moving around in their vehicles without any restraining device."

According to Hare, the violation of this regulation can attract a fine, a ticket or, in some cases, the driver could lose four points off his or her driver's licence. The director, however, said he was unhappy with the level of enforcement in this area of the law.

Karole Atkinson, mother of two, is not one of those motorists who allows her child to move around her vehicle.

Choosing a seat

"It's better to be safe than sorry," she said. "Some persons just put their baby in the child seat without strapping them down, just because they are going down the street. But that's not safe," Atkinson warned.

"I would encourage every mother to get one and that they make sure it is placed in the car correctly, or else it will not serve the purpose it was meant to."

A child safety seat should be chosen based on the height and weight of the child who will sit in it. On the other hand, parents are advised not to force a child's safety seat to fit a vehicle, as by so doing the ability to protect will be drastically reduced.

Dr Tomlinson has also warned mothers against using safety seats previously involved in an accident. She noted that children officially graduate from the use of those seats when they reach a height of four feet, nine inches.

"As a mother, I have to be there for my boys, no matter what, as their safety means everything to me. And it would be my absolute pleasure to watch them grew up to be fabulous young men," Atkinson added.