KUALA LUMPUR: Parents have been urged to ensure that the child restraint system (CRS) set they are planning to purchase is in compliance with the United Nations (UN) Regulation No 44 (ECE R44/04) and Regulation No 129 (ECE R129), as only those are allowed for use in the country.
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) research officer Nurulhana Borhan said the standards have been set by the UN Regulation (UNR) as a precautionary measure for children below 135cm in height.
“In addition to the UNR certification, each CRS or child safety seat product will have an orange e-mark sticker with information on its category by weight or height and approval number.
“It also needs to have a valid QR label sticker from Miros, which records CRS technical specifications according to the standard,” she said when contacted by Bernama.
Nurulhana also advised parents not to be fooled by the cheap CRS as there were brand manufacturers which have failed to pass the standard requirements but attach the labels illegally.
“When it comes to safety issues, every parent should not compromise. However, not all quality CRS sets are sold at RM1,000 per unit.
“There are actually CRS sets which are in compliance with the safety standards and tests but priced as low as RM150 to RM300,” she said.
On Wednesday, the government announced it would make the use of CRS in vehicles mandatory starting Jan 1, 2020, in efforts to save children from serious injury or death in the event of an accident.
In line with that, Miros has released the guidelines for child safety seat in Malaysia, which can be downloaded from the Miros website.
“This set standard is for the safety of the users. If a CRS set does not meet the standards, not only it will not save the victim but will make the situation worse,” she said.
Meanwhile, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) Road Safety Department director Azharul Izwan Puaadi said the awareness of the importance of using CRS in vehicles in Malaysia is still low.
“Based on our observation during a joint operation with the authorities, less than 40 percent of parents use CRS for their children, as well as low awareness towards their own and children’s safety while riding in vehicles.
“Thousands of vehicles are plying the roads daily, ferrying infants and young children who are exposed to the risk of accidents when not restrained properly in a special seat,” he said.
During the period of 2018 to March, this year, the number of fatalities due to road accidents in the WPKL was 268 cases, including children and infants.
“There are parents who thought putting their children on their laps while travelling is enough because they cannot afford the CRS set. However, they don’t realise that their actions are clearly harmful to the children,” he said.
According to a study, special infant seat could reduce the risk of death by up to 70 percent for infants and 50 percent for children, aged between one and five.
“If we want to be serious about road safety, we must also be serious about the precautions that needed to be taken to ensure the safety of those travelling in vehicles,” he said. − Bernama
