Did You Know Child Safety Seats Will Be Compulsory in Malaysia by 2020?

Have you heard that the Ministry of Transport is making child safety seats mandatory in Malaysia by law in 2020? If you don’t own a child restraint system yet, it’s time to start looking into one!

Here’s why child safety seats are critically important for your little one:

1. Seat belts are not designed for children

Regular seat belts are designed for an adult’s height and weight, while children are smaller in size and better suited to full body safety restraints.

What’s more, unlike adults who know how to sit still, children are likely to wriggle around and slip out of seat belts!

What about keeping your child on your lap with a seat belt on?

While you may want to hold your little one close, carrying them on your lap leaves them vulnerable to front-facing injuries when jolted forward, as well as side-impact collisions where your body weight may throw additional force on your child.

These injuries are avoided with child safety seats that stay securely attached to the car seat, protecting your child from sudden movements.

2. Child safety seats can save lives

Did you know that Sweden is the safest country in the world for children on the road? You can guess why – Sweden enforces child safety seat laws!

It’s no surprise, as rear-facing car seats reduce the risk of injury by up to 80%, according to the World Health Organisation.

Specially designed to accommodate a child’s proportions, child safety seats incorporate harnesses over their shoulders and waist, spreading the force of impact across a wide area.

Just like something out of a sci-fi movie, they also come with padded edges to protect your child’s head and torso, minimizing injury to the brain or soft tissue in the event of a collision.

3. It’s better to be safe than sorry

We must face an urgent truth: Children from 1-4 years of age in private vehicles are the leading group of child casualties in Malaysia.

You could be the safest driver in the world, yet unable to guarantee that drivers around you will observe the same safety rules. It’s simply not a risk worth taking.

With the introduction of mandatory child safety seats in 2020, we’ll be well on our way to making our country safer for our children.

Need more information about how to choose the best safety seat for your child? Head to our Facebook page for more information!

Make sure to also choose the right seat for your child’s age, weight and height to ensure their safety:

For more tips, such as the 1-inch test for installing your child’s safety seat, check out at #pullandclickwithQdees on Facebook and Instagram!

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Need help installing your child safety seat securely? Use the 1-inch test! ? The 1-inch test determines if you have fastened the child safety seat securely. If your safety seat moves more than 1 inch, don’t forget to tighten the seat belt again! Starting 2020, it will be compulsory to install a child safety seat in your car! For more safety seat guides and tips from Q-dees and @cpsmalaysia.plt, visit #pullandclickwithQdees! Remember parents, it’s better to be safe than sorry! ? #qdees #qdeesstarters #preschool #preschoolmalaysia #bestpreschool #besteducation

A post shared by Q-dees Starters (@qdees_starters) on Sep 18, 2019 at 3:02am PDT

At Q-dees, we believe it’s important for kids to learn about road safety from an early age!

Your child will learn to strap on their seat belts with our #PullandclickwithQdees song and the importance of road safety with our ‘Better to be safe than sorry’ song in our character-building modules.

We’re open for registration from ages 6 and below now! Visit us at www.www.q-dees.com to find out more about our comprehensive programmes or call us at 1700-81-5077 to find a friendly centre near you.

Reference List

Seat-belts and child restraints: a road safety manual. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/roadsafety/projects/manuals/seatbelt/seat_belt_manual_module_1.pdf

An Overview of Road Traffic Injuries Among Children in Malaysia and Its Implication on Road Traffic Injury Prevention Strategy. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312771185

Child seats to be made compulsory by 2020, says Loke. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/10/30/child-seats-to-be-made-compulsory-by-2020-says-loke/