Parents and children are being reminded to adhere to relevant rules and guidelines around vehicle safety, as part of an awareness campaign launched by the General Directorate of Traffic.
Amongst the rules highlighted during the campaign are the importance of child seats and wearing seat belts.
The GDN reported yesterday that a young Bahraini girl who sustained serious injuries, after falling from a moving car, had died at the BDF Military Hospital earlier this week. She fell after accidentally opening the door of the car driven by her mother in Hamad Town.
“The General Directorate of Traffic is continuing its awareness campaign on the importance of a child seat inside the vehicle to keep children safe,” a spokesperson for the directorate said in a video posted on social media.
The World Health Organisation has found that if correctly installed, child car seats could reduce infant deaths by 70 per cent and fatalities among small children by 54pc to 80pc.
Adult seat belts can ride too high on small children where the lap section crosses the stomach instead of the pelvis, and the sash crosses the neck instead of the shoulder and chest.
Bahrain traffic officials also urged parents to ensure that children aged 10 and under only sit in the backseat, as per the law, and that the driver as well as all passengers must wear a seatbelt while the car is moving.
As part of its back-to-school safety campaign, the directorate is also reminding parents not to let their children get down in the middle of the road from the left side of the car, and instead use the door closest to the curbside.
Last month, General Directorate of Traffic public traffic awareness head Major Abdulla Khalid called on citizens and residents to child-lock doors and windows of their vehicles and abide by safe seating norms to avoid injuries and fatal tragedies.
“Many parents keep their children on their laps while driving the vehicle and leave windows wide open with the child’s head outside, especially in residential areas, where drivers tend to get complacent,” he added in a video posted on social media.
“These are two common violations reported in the kingdom which could lead to disastrous consequences.”
The directorate also reminded parents to leave home early to avoid congestion and ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
Since students have begun returning to schools, the directorate has dispatched officials to school areas to ensure that relevant laws and safety guidelines are being followed as parents drop off and pick up their children.
The directorate has called on students to only cross the road at the designated areas, including crosswalks and pedestrian signals. Drivers have also been urged to slow down near schools and educational areas.
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