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Belt-Up
For Safety
AAS & Traffic Police launched the Belt-Up Campaign
to advocate the importance of rear seat belts & child restraints
on May 7 2002. Below are some useful and essential information
that motorists, passengers and parents should know.
AAS-TRAFFIC POLICE BELT UP
CAMPAIGN
More often than not, fatal road accidents can be
avoided through the constant observation of road safety. We
are not referring to using designated pedestrian crossings
or careful car control but also the use of safety features
within a moving vehicle such as seat belts and child restraints.
Imagine the effect of a person hitting the ground
after falling from the third storey. An unfastened passenger
in a car travelling at just 50 km/h crashing into a barrier
suffers a similar impact. If the chance of an adult surviving
such a crash without serious injury is slim, what more a child's?
Young children should be suitably restrained when
travelling in a vehicle. A child held by a belted adult is
just as unprotected. In a collision at 50 km/h, an infant
unsecured by restraints would be ripped from an adult's arms
by a force 30 times greater than the baby's bodyweight and
be violently propelled forward against the dashboard or through
the windscreen. It would be impossible for an adult to hang
on to the child. If the adult is not belted up, he could crush
the child as both would be flung against the dashboard. A
properly fitted child restraint system can reduce fatal injuries
by up to 75 per cent and serious injuries by 67 per cent.
In a car crash, two collisions take place. When a
car hits an obstacle or is hit, it crumples, bends and then
stops. When the car stops, its passengers continue to move
within the car at the speed which it was originally travelling
until something stops them, resulting in a human collision.
In a collision, passengers can collide not only with
parts of the car but with each other - if they are unsecured
by seat belts or some other suitable restraint. In a frontal
crash, front seat passengers can suffer serious neck and spinal
injuries when they strike directly or through the seat by
rear seat occupants. If a child is within, he could suffer
even fatal injuries inflicted by an unbelted adult who inevitably
becomes a human projectile in the crash.
According to a study conducted at the University
of Tokyo, drivers and front-seat passengers are at a five
times greater risk of dying in a car accident if the rear-seat
passengers are unbelted. In head-on collisions, the risks
are far higher. With an unbelted person behind, the front
passenger stands the chance of getting crushed both ways.
This contradicts common belief that the back seat is safer.
From 1 October 1992, all available rear seat belts
must be used. This rule applies to cars, station wagons or
vehicles with double-cabs. It is also compulsory for all children
under the age of eight to be secured in an approved child
restraint whether seated in the front or back of a vehicle.
The penalty for not having a properly secured child is a fine
of $120 and three demerit points. In addition, the offender
may be charged in court and fined $1,000 or jailed for three
months. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $2,000 and jailed
for six months. Rear seat passengers in vehicles equipped
with rear seat belts will have to belt up too. All vehicles
- cars, station wagons, private hire cars, taxis and vehicles
with double-cabs - registered on or after 1 January 1993 have
to be equipped with sufficient rear seat belts to match the
rear seat capacity of the vehicle. Any rear seat passenger
who fails to wear a seat belt is punishable with a fine of
$120. The driver who fails to ensure that the rear passengers
are wearing seat belts will also face a fine of $120 and three
demerit points.
Do not take a safe journey for granted. Accidents
can happen anytime, even on the shortest trips. Regrets cannot
bring back lives or restore loved ones from irreversible injuries.
Don't take chances. Keep your loved ones safe.
*INFORMATION CORRECT AT PRESS TIME.
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THE LAW
Child Restraint
It is compulsory for all children under 8 to be secured
in an approved child restraint whether seated in the front
or back of a vehicle. Drivers will be fined $120 & receive
3 demerit points if children in their cars are not secured
in the child seats.
Rear Seat Belt
Passengers who do not belt up will also be fined $120. Drivers
will also be fined $120 & receive 3 demerit points if passengers
in their cars do not belt up.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. My car has 3 rear seat
belts but I have 4 passengers in the back. What should I do?
All available seat belts should be used. If passengers exceeds
number of rear seat belts available, for example, the car
has 3 rear seat belts but there are 4 passengers, the 4th
passenger will not be penalized.
2. I have an old car that
does not come installed with rear seat belt. Will I be penalized?
For owners of (old) cars registered before 1 January 1993
that do not have rear seat belts installed, the owners will
not be penalized. However, owners who wish to protect their
passengers can check with their car agents if their cars have
anchorage points for rear seat belts to be fitted.
3. Who can be exempted from
wearing rear seat belts?
Anyone found by the Seat Belt Medical Board to be medically
unfit to wear seat belts are exempted. Applications for exemption
should be directed to the Ministry of Health.
4. Is a pregnant woman required
to wear a rear seat belt?
Yes. Medical practitioners support the use of seat belts even
for pregnant women. Seat belts should be worn low across the
hips.
5. Why is it important to
belt in the back seat when surely it is already safer to sit
here than in front?
In a crash, unsecured back seat passengers can hurt those
in front, others in the back seat and of course, themselves.
In fact, they have been known to kill front seat passengers
with the sheer force of their colliding bodies. Moreover,
a front seat passenger who is not belted up can be thrown
through the window screen or suffer serious neck or spinal
injuries as a result of being thrust forward by back seat
passengers. The impact of a collision can cause unsecured
back seat passengers to be thrown around causing serious or
even fatal head-against-head injuries. They will hurt themselves
especially if the vehicle overturns causing them to be flung
against the roof or some other part of the framework.
6. If I have two kids who
need to be on child seats, but I do not have rear seat belts,
what should I do?
Child restraints should ONLY be used in conjunction with seat
belts. Use the front seat belt for one child seat. The second
& older child does not need to be on child seat in this case.
7. Am I exempted from the
rear seat belt requirement if I have the rear seat belts removed?
No. It is an offence to remove seat belts that have been provided
by the manufacturer.
8. Does the law apply to
foreign registered cars?
The law only applies to Singapore registered vehicles.
9. If I take a taxi, do
I have to belt-up in the back?
Yes. The same law applies. i.e. Passengers who do not belt
up will also be fined $120. Taxi drivers will also be fined
$120 & receive 3 demerit points if passengers in their taxis
do not belt up.
10. What if taxis don't
have child seats?
Taxis are exempted from the child seat requirement.
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CHILD RESTRAINT GUIDELINES
& TIPS
Child restraints should ONLY be used in conjunction
with seat belts.
| Age |
Weight |
Type of Restraint |
Babies
Up to 9 mths |
up to 10kg |
Infant Capsule |
Toddlers
9mths to 4 yrs |
9-18kg |
Convertible Seat |
Older Children
5-8 yrs |
19-36kg |
Booster Seat |
- Ensure harness straps lie flat and not twisted.
- When buckled, ensure there is no more than 2-finger
width space between the child and the shoulder strap.
- Wide harness straps are preferred as impact forces
are spread across the body.
- When using a 5-point harness, adjust the crotch strap
to hold the hip belt low over the pelvis.
- Lap belts should be secured low down on the hips,
over the pelvis and away from the abdomen. Ensure that the
shoulder straps lie flat on the shoulders.
- Child restraints should only be used together with
seat belts.
Booster Seat
This seat raises a child's height to a suitable level,
enabling the child to use adult seat belts safely. When
a child can safely use an adult seat belt without the booster
seat, ensure that the belt goes across the child's chest
and not the face or the neck.
A child restraint should be secured by the car's
existing 3-point seat belt, preferably installed by the
child seat dealer's technician. If you want to install it
yourself, the manufacturer's installation instructions must
be adhered to strictly.
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APPROVED STANDARDS FOR CHILD
RESTRAINTS
American:
FMVSS no.213 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.213)
Australian:
AS 1754 - 1975 including AS 1754.1 - 1989 Part 1 AS 1754.4
- 1989 Part 4 ( Type B child restraint- forward-facing chair
with harness).
British:
BS3254: Part 2; 1988 (Seat Belt Assemblies for Motor Vehicles).
BS AU 202a: 1988 (British Standard Automobile Series specification
for rearward-facing restraining devices for infants. BS AU
185: 1983 British Standard Automobile series for rear seat
belt booster cushions).
European:
ECE R44
Japanese:
JIS D 0401 - 1990 (Japanese Industrial Standard - Child restraints
for automobiles).
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RETAIL OUTLETS FOR CHILD SEATS
Child seats are available at the following outlets:
Baby's Hyperstore Tel: 6844 1123
69 Kaki Bukit Ave 1, Showroom at Level 3, Shun Li Industrial
Park
Mothercare (S) Pte Ltd
Causeway Point Tel: 6893 5250
Centrepoint Tel: 6732 7566
Marina Square Tel: 6337 0388
Parkway Parade Tel: 6447 2355
Suntec City Mall Tel: 6337 5138
KK Women's and Children's Hospital Tel: 6294 8757
National Safety Council offers rental & sale of child
seats.
315 Outram Road, Tan Boon Liat Building #10-09A Tel: 62233601
Ewan Pte Ltd
257 Selegie Road #01-261 Selegie Complex Tel: 6336 8311
Autobacs
126 Paya Lebar Road Tel: 6749 5600 / 6749 0679
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