Joanna Saliba, Marsaxlokk
Children in cars should wear seatbelts
I would like some answers from the authorities regarding the issue of seat belts on the back seat.
If I am not mistaken, everyone should wear seat belts even those in the back seat of a car. Then why do I still see children moving about in cars? Apart from distracting the driver, who probably would be mum or dad, the child is also risking his/her life if an accident happens just because the parents or guardians did not bother to put the child in a suitable car seat.
Do we have to wait for a fatal accident involving a child being thrown out of the windscreen in order to ensure all children in cars wear seat belts and book defaulters?
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ainsley wiltshire
May 21st 2010, 20:09
i am amazed that no child has been killed (as far as i am aware). i was hit by a driver 4 weeks ago travelling round a roundabout, when a car came into the side of me. there was a young child standing in the middle which is against the law everywhere in europe. but not in malta ! thankfully she was ok god only knows how .the years i have lived in malta have shown me that the maltese really love there children, so why gamble with there lives.i blame the authorties, because you very rarely see an adult without a seatbelt, because they are scared of getting a fine.so why arent they clamping down on parents. who show no care for there childrens safety by letting them stand between the front seats,i see it many times a day and i only drive for 30 minutes a day.
gorg borg
Apr 24th 2010, 00:59
Many Children have been killed but the news falls on deaf ears
D Schembri
Apr 23rd 2010, 19:15
The worst I have seen is a two seater van with mummy and daddy both strapped in and child on mummies lap not strapped in.
Duncan Sant
Apr 23rd 2010, 17:52
I have 2 small kids (3 yrs and 1 yr) and they are both strapped in their respective car seats when travelling. It is not only safe for the kids, but also safer for the driver as I don't have to constantly see what they are doing.
charmaine mangion
Apr 23rd 2010, 17:59
my kids wont leave me drive unless they fasten their seatbelt. children get used to seatbelt if its used all the time.
M.Cassar
Apr 23rd 2010, 17:02
While I am all for child safety, and agree that anyone letting children ride unrestrained should be held accountable for putting the child's health and life at risk, I must point out that the issue is not as simple as to wear or an adult seatbelt. There is a whole debate on this and unless we get proper legislation in place and an information campaign going we will continue to get the injuries and perhaps worse. Please have a look at http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/countries/index.htm
mary Pace
Apr 23rd 2010, 13:00
I see often, a child sitting on DADDY while driving ,and the child holding the steering wheel!!! not once but often I see this happenned, I shudder when I see them,don't these parents LOVE thier children????
G BREWSK
Apr 23rd 2010, 11:55
I remember two years ago a blue Beetle passing me in St Pauls Bay with a young girl holding the back of the two front seats standing up. I said to my partner that she will cause an accident as its a distraction. 5 minutes later I had walked on got to the HSBC and turned the corner to see what - the car had hit the back of a truck. thank the Lord the girl was OK but when I see this now I shudder, literally, at the thought of how different it could have been
Ruby Jenner
Apr 23rd 2010, 10:50
I agree Joanna. This indeed is an every day sight here in Malta. Babies on the mother's lap, children free to jump about in the back. In an accident you will not be able to hold onto the baby or small child. In fact a child could well be flung from the back into the passenger and driver in the front. Seat belts and child seats save lives. Please use them.
Joanna Saliba
Apr 23rd 2010, 10:31
Just this morning as I was driving to go to work saw a young boy around 2 years old acting as if sleeping on the piece of cardboard of the hatchback of the car and when his mother saw the police officer at the ship building crossroads she told the kid to hide himself under the seats. Can you imagine that? she is teaching her child that if the bad deed is not noticed it isn't that bad. these things really make me angry.
C Cassar
Apr 23rd 2010, 10:18
Most cars carrying children in Malta do so without the use of seatbelts, either in the front or back. Just stand beside a busy main road and it's guaranteed that this is the case. Why do the police & wardens ignore this danger to children? I'm sure that many parents who are to blame also read these blogs, therefore please answer here why are you so irresponsble to your children??
M. Mifsud
Apr 23rd 2010, 10:05
I have seen even worse than this! I have seen parents safely wearing their seatbelts in the front seat,... with small children on their lap! Once I used to think that becoming a parent automatically made one sensible and responsible, now I know that in certain cases it's just not the case!
dimitrim
Apr 23rd 2010, 11:59
I think that people should never let their kid’s without the seat belt in the car. Once I went in a car with a friend and her kids were standing up without a seat belt. I told the mother and she didn’t do anything about it. The parents are risking their kids life in a accident.