THE police have reminded parents who are drivers to strap their young children into proper child seats when on the road after an accident on Thursday left two children injured.
A van, driven by a woman in her 60s, skidded while travelling along Piccadilly Road in Seletar at about 1.40pm.
The driver sustained injuries to her arm and cuts to her face and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. A man in his 20s, who was seated at the back of the van, also went to hospital with cuts to his face.
The two children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, were both seated in the front passenger seat of the van.
They suffered cuts to their limbs and were taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for treatment.
Police said preliminary investigations show the two children were not using child restraints.
Drivers who have passengers below the age of eight in their vehicle have to place them in approved child seats. Failure to do so can result in a fine and demerit points.
In 2007, 30 motorists were caught flouting the child-seat rule, out of 4,000 summonses for seat belt-related offences.
Traffic Police commander, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Christopher Ng, said: 'As a parent, you have a direct responsibility for the safety of your young children travelling in your vehicle.
'If you fail to use a child seat for your child, you are endangering his or her life. A simple act of ensuring that child seats are used will go a long way to ensure their safety.'
These child seats can cost anywhere between $60 and $600. They are better designed to keep young children safe in the event of an accident than normal vehicle seat belts which are sometimes too big to properly secure children.
Housewife Melissa Koh, 38, has continued to use a child seat for her daughter Germaine, even though she is now 10 years old.
She said: 'As Germaine is rather small for her age, I felt it was better to keep using the seat.
'She doesn't really like it as she says it makes her feel like a baby when all her friends have stopped using it...but I'd rather be safe than sorry.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
