Experts say child restraint devices should be a requirement for TNCs

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should require transport network companies (TNCs) to equip their vehicles with child restraint devices amid the growing issue of road safety in the country, a researcher from the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila said on Wednesday.

“They do it in Singapore. Grab in Singapore offers it, they call it Grab Family, Uber also offers it,” Adovich Rivera of UP Manila’s National Institute of Health said in a press conference.

“We asked Grab Philippines and Uber Philippines and they said they will provide child car seats or restraints if the legislation is passed,” Rivera added.

Meanwhile, a professor from the Ateneo Law School emphasized that the problem is the lack of legislation requiring private automobiles to provide child restraints.

“What is lacking is a law mandating the use of child restraints or more commonly known as child car seats,” Jason Salvador from Ateneo Law School said.

Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services, Inc. (IDEALS, Inc.), which hosted the press conference on road safety, said the piece of legislation was very critical.

“Studies have shown the use of car seats reduces the likelihood of a fatal crash by 70 percent among infants, 54 to 80 percent among young children, and by 90 percent for those who use rear facing restraints for babies and infants,” IDEALS, Inc. said in a statement.

Salvador added that currently, there are two measures pending before the House of Representatives and the Senate.

BUHAY Partylist representative Michael Velarde Jr. filed House Bill 1319 or the Child Restraint Act and is currently being deliberated in the Committee on transportation headed by Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, Salvador said.

In the Senate meanwhile, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito proposed the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act of 2017.

‘A public health issue’

Dr. Benjamin Lane of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the lack of legislation on child restraints is more of a public health issue.

“It is a health issue that can be addressed by legislation and proper implementation. The true burden here is on the victims,” Lane said.

He added that one of the reasons behind the low number of child restraint users is that a lot of Filipinos think it was expensive. However, “If you can afford an automobile, you can afford a child seat,” Lane pointed out.

Rivera pointed out that lack of awareness is high among Filipinos but added if the government passed the legislation, the use of child restraint would increase.

According to Lane, the number of road traffic injuries is the ninth cause of death worldwide leading to almost 1.24 million deaths yearly.

In the Philippines, the number of crash-related deaths has been continuously increasing from around 6,809 cases in 2006 to more than 10,000 in 2015, Lane said. JPV