No compromise on safety of Hong Kong children
- New rules, including mandatory use of child-restraint devices in cars, are long overdue and will allow city to catch up with similar regulations in other parts of the world
Children may soon be safer on Hong Kong roads under a government proposal to tighten regulations on how they are protected in cars. The new rules, including mandatory use of child-restraint devices, are long overdue and deserve urgent support following a sharp rise in the number of youngsters hurt in road accidents.
The proposal would require infant and toddler car seats for youngsters in private cars and seat belts for older children. Part of a set of four vehicle safety amendments introduced on December 27 by the Transport Department, the new rules would cover youngsters aged seven or below and shorter than 1.35 metres (4.4 feet).
Calls for tighter regulations on child safety have grown after a horrific accident in November, when an eight-month-old infant was thrown from a car during an accident on Tolo Highway. A domestic helper was holding the baby as the car crashed into a barrier.
Both ended up on the street. It was unclear if they were wearing a seat belt.
Statistics from the department showed that in the first 11 months of last year, there were 359 children aged 12 or under injured in road accidents, a 55 per cent increase over the 231 cases seen in 2022. More than 15 per cent of the injured children were not wearing safety belts or using restraints.
Current law, which dates back to when the city had fewer highways, only requires restraining devices for children under the age of three sitting in the front seat. Those aged three to 12 must wear seat belts in the back seat, but car seats are not mandatory.
However, research has shown that children younger than a year old have a 71 per cent lower risk of death if they are in an infant seat. Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada are among nations with strict car seat laws. Australia and New Zealand even mandate certain car seat models.
It is well past time for Hong Kong to catch up and adopt new rules backed up by a safety education campaign and rigorous enforcement. Such efforts are worth it to better ensure the safety of precious young lives on the city’s roads.
