The New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) is pushing for the immediate passage of the child restraint system law in a bid to ensure the safety of children riding cars and other private motor vehicles.
“The life of an innocent child should be protected at all times, especially while on the road. Child car seats offer the best protection for infants and children up to 12 years old,” said NVAP project manager on road safety Einstein Rojas, himself a road crash survivor.
Rojas stressed the need for the government to make it mandatory for private vehicles to install child car seats when they have children passengers.
“A child car seat law will ensure the safety of the child. It is high time the country has one,” said Rojas in a statement.
Data from the World Health Organization show that about 1.25 million road traffic deaths occur annually.
The Department of Health data said road crash had been the second leading cause of death among children aged 0 to 17.