SA insurer and motoring group RAA is reminding drivers to ensure child passengers are safely restrained in a bid to reduce road trauma.
The message is prompted by new SA police figures showing more than 3,400 motorists were fined $850,000 for failing to properly restrain passengers aged under 16 during the past five years.
SA figures also revealed that more than 40 motorists were caught failing to ensure youngsters were correctly using seatbelts or restraints in the first month of the school year in 2019, with most offences detected between 3pm and 4pm on weekdays.
Charles Mountain, RAA senior manager of safety and infrastructure, said not properly restraining youngsters in a vehicle put them at risk of serious or fatal injury.
“It is critically important that parents properly restrain their youngsters for all trips, irrespective of the distance, as crashes can occur at any time,” Mountain said. “Research shows that a child who is properly secured in an approved child restraint is far less likely to be injured or killed in a car crash than one who is not.”
Mountain also warned that young children were also at risk of being injured by airbags when seated in the front of a car or from moving to a seatbelt before they were big enough to wear it properly.
He noted that majority of child restraints checked by RAA’s Safety Centre were either not installed or not used correctly.
“Such issues can easily be fixed, so it’s very important for motorists to ensure they not only provide children with a restraint that’s suitable based on their size and age, but one that’s fitted and adjusted correctly as well,” Mountain said.
Drivers were also reminded to observe the 25km/h limit in school zones and to watch out for children in school crossings during drop-off and pick-up times.
“Be aware that pedestrian crossings with traffic signals on major roads near schools will be in more frequent use from today,” Mountain said. “Remember parked vehicles can also make it harder for drivers to spot younger children trying to cross the road and be careful not to double park or park in driveways when dropping off or picking up the kids. With the return to school comes an increase in traffic, so commuters should allow more travelling time if they’ve been leaving a little later over the past couple of weeks.”
