It’s parents’ responsibility to have car seats for babies, toddlers – Traffic Chief

While the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act in Guyana makes provision for a child restraint system to reduce injuries to babies and children if they are involved in an accident, there is no enforcement of this law.

The country’s Traffic Chief, Dennis Stephens, says it is the responsibility of parents to have car seats for their children.

“We would not enforce that.

“I believe it is the parent’s responsibility, we would warn persons when they have small children in the front seat but we do not prosecute. It is the parent’s responsibility to have a child restraint system in the vehicle,” the Traffic Chief said.

Data shows that the use of car seats reduces the risk of injury in accidents by 71 to 82 per cent for children.

A six-month-old baby girl, Devine Khan, died Monday morning in a car accident at Unity, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara. The infant’s parents who were travelling with her also sustained injured along with the driver identified as Ackeem Jerrick.

Chapter 45F (1) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act states that “every driver of a motor vehicle which conveys a child shall cause such child to wear or be conveyed in an appropriate child restraint system.”

The Act further states that “a driver who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.”

The use of seatbelts is also required by the law and this is enforced. Drivers who fail to use a seatbelt are fined.

The Act details that the device used for securing the child should be designed “either to be fixed directly to an anchorage point or be used in conjunction with an adult seat belt and held in place by the restraining action of the belt.”

Five years ago, former Traffic Chief Dion Moore said the ‘child restraint’ law was not being enforced because the Police Force was sensitising the public and once the public was aware, enforcement will begin.

But to date, there has been no enforcement and children are seen travelling in vehicles with their heads and hands out the window and sometimes standing in the front passenger seat.