MANILA — The New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) is pushing for the immediate passage of the legislative measures that require parents to install child car seats in their vehicles.
The measures are a perfect complement to the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, NVAP member and survivor of a road crash, Einstein Rojas, said Monday.
Rojas was referring to the two bills that are pending in Congress — Senate Bill No. 1447 and House of Representatives Bill No. 5595 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act of 2017, which requires the use of child restraint system devices in privately-owned motor vehicles, regardless of the distance travelled, so long as infants and children are on board.
Rojas said distractions from driving are not limited to mobile phones and communication gadgets. Having children in vehicles is undoubtedly another potential distraction, especially when the driver is the only adult present, he explained.
“If the child is not old enough to sit by himself, it is unavoidable to keep on looking at the kid to see if he is okay. This in itself can already pose as a distraction to parent-motorists,” Rojas said, noting that having a child seat in the vehicle would somehow keep the driver from constantly checking on his child passenger.
According to NVAP, some 1,334 children and youths, aged 1 to 19 years, die in transport-related clashes every year — or about four children every day. (PNA)