There should be an ongoing campaign to promote using children car seats
There should be an ongoing campaign to promote using children car seats otherwise we cannot expect the statistics of mortality among young passengers going down. This was the issue addressed by the Director of the research Institute of Hygiene and Protection of Health of Children and Teenagers of the Children Health Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Science Professor Vladislav Kuchma.
Vladislav Kuchma said that it was quite rare that adults gave a thought to safe status of children involved in road traffic. The anonymous polling was held this year among 8-11 year school children (1200 children) studying in 10 Moscow schools. It was found out that 48% boys and 46% girls that is less than a half of Moscow school children are using safety belts inside cars, - Vladislav Kuchma said. - The situation with helmets is even worse. As many as 90% boys and 87% girls do not put on protection helmets when they ride bicycles. Although 76% children understand that road is a danger zone where risk to get hurt is sufficiently high».
According to Dr. Kuchma today the issue of failing to use children car seat is high on agenda. «Many of the citizens just do not consider the implications of having a ride without safety child seat; they do not understand that it can result in pretty unfortunate situation, - professor was saying. - If a child is not restrained or is sitting on the laps of a parent it is not possible to keep the child in case of accident; the boy or girl will just catapult outside through the windshield which leaves very low chances for survival. Riding in a safety chair is comfortable - these things under right fine-tuning can protect children 100%. We conducted the studies in accredited laboratory of our institute».
Vladislav Kuchma feels that it is necessary to promote actively the use of child car seats and maybe consider the option of increasing fines for this violation of Traffic Rules. «Fines for similar violations in the West are huge and everybody is carrying their children in special seats, - Dr. Kuchma continued. – I think here we should practice the twofold approach - increasing fines and promoting the use of car seats. We should start with media, TV, radio, bill boards explaining the necessity of using special car seats; we should insist that the car seat is the same attribute of the everyday life as overcoat or gloves which we wear when the temperature drops and it is affordable to buy a children car seat. Many insist that they cannot afford buying a car seat. On the other hand if a person can afford buying a car the same person should have monies to maintain it Six months after a massive scale social advertisement the fine for disobeying the safety rule can be increased».
In Professor's opinion the promotion campaign for car seats should start in kindergartens giving children lessons on safe road traffic. «Children should be explained that they can ride cars sitting in safety seats; the seat is comfortable so that they can ask parents to buy them one, - he pointed out. - In the kindergarten age children are very responsible, most likely coming back home they will ask their parents «And where is my seat?». In this manner the children will remind parents that they are kept fastened inside the car».
Currently there is a wide-scale social campaign underway having the title «Car seat to every child!». This campaign was initiated by the State Traffic Police of Russia under support of the Russian Car Insurer Union (RCIU) and non-governmental organization «Risk Free Traffic».
«There are several activities carried out within the campaign. All of them are aimed at promoting use of safety children car seats and these activities are developed to be exciting for adults and children, - pointed out Deputy Head of Chief Directorate on Traffic Safety Ensuring in the Russian Interior Ministry Police major general Vladimir Kuzin. – Within the campaign framework we staged quests "Cresland Treasures" in 10 regions of the country; on TV and in cinema theaters the films are shown that request parents buying child car seat; the same topic is addressed by audio treks broadcast on the radio dubbed by popular public figures».
«We expect that this education activity will come to fruition making adults to give a serious thought about the safety of their children prompting them to buy a car child safety seat», - the general was underscoring.
NGO «Risk Free Traffic» is taking part in «Car Safety Chair to Every Child!» campaign. The organization has already made two legislative initiative moves. «We feel that it is necessary to rise fines for failing to use child safety seat, – declared the organization President Natalia Agre. – The fine should be compatible to the cost of the seat itself amounting to 3-5 thousand rubles. We are resolute that babies should be taken out of maternity houses only when a safety cradle is available inside a car. If parents cannot take care of their children it is the Government responsibility to get intervened».
This initiative will be most likely supported by the majority of Russians. Thus the Russian Poll Center indicates that 19% Russians consider the fine should be in the ballpark of 500 to 999 rubles for driving children without CRU; fine between 1000 and 4999 RUR was thought relevant by 19%, no less than 5000 RUR was the opinion of the balance 15%. Out of those polled 58% Muscovites and up to 45% Russians supported the legislation initiative to give babies from the maternity houses only under condition that a child restraining unit (CRU) is installed inside a car.
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