Living In UAE

UAE: Is your child in the right car seat? Dubai Police releases advisory for parents

Find out when should you change a child’s car seat and fines for not having it in a car.

Published: January 04, 2024 19:12 Zainab Husain, Features Writer

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Dubai: To ensure your child’s safety in the car, you need to have a sturdy and secure child seat. But when you are about to buy your child’s car seat, a one size fits all approach should not be followed. — Global research shows that seat belts save 40 to 60 per cent of lives and in the case of children, up to 80 per cent of lives. Image Credit: Gulf News Archives

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Recently, Dubai Police released an advisory on its social media channels to guide parents on selecting the right car seat for their child. — There are a few essential factors that you must consider, such as the type of car seat, the child’s age and weight. Image Credit: Pexels/Kampus Production

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How to find the right car seat? For infants weighing up to 10kg (from birth to two years old) - Rear-facing car seat. For children weighing from 15 to 25kg (for ages two to eight years old) - Forward-facing car seat. For children weighing 22kg to 36kg (from six to 12 years old) - Booster seat For children 13 years old and above - Seat belt — Image Credit: Pexels/Erik Mclean

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In the UAE, it is easier for you as a parent to know which car seat is ideal for your child because car seats that are sold here are required to pass crash tests as well as have proper labelling and classifications for different age groups and weight categories. — In November 2023, Dubai Police distributed free child seats as part of it’s new safety campaign - ‘Child Seat... Safety and Serenity’. To find out more, read here: gulfnews.com/ 1.99247797 Image Credit: Pexels

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When to transition your child’s car seats Here are a few aspects you need to keep in mind: When your toddler reaches the highest weight allowed by your rear-facing seat, you need to switch your child safety seat to a forward facing position. — If your child has outgrown their seat, that means you need to transition them into a new car seat. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Once your child completely outgrows a forward-facing child safety seat with an internal harness, you should switch them to a belt-positioning booster seat. — Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/ Gulf News

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Three reasons why rear-facing car seats are important 1. Car seats are designed to absorb some crash forces and spread remaining crash forces over a larger area of the body. 2. An infant’s body, especially the neck area is not strong enough to withstand crash forces when the seat is facing forward. — Source: Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA) Vehicle Handbook Image Credit: Gulf News Archives

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3. Rear-facing car seat distributes the crash force along the entire back, neck and head, putting less stress and trauma on any one part of the body. — Source: Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA) Vehicle Handbook Image Credit: Pexels/Kampus Production

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When can my child sit in the front seat? As per the UAE’s Federal Traffic Law, all children should ride in the back seat of a vehicle until they are 10 years old. — Image Credit: Supplied

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Dh400 fine for not adhering to child safety seats According to the UAE’s Federal Traffic Law, these are the penalties for passengers and motorists who do not buckle up: — In 2017, the UAE amended its Federal Traffic Law and made safety seats mandatory for children under the age of four. Image Credit: Pexels/Kampus Production

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All passengers in a car are required to wear seat belts including those sitting in the rear seat, failing which the driver of the vehicle will be fined Dh400 and slapped with four black points. — For more information on the traffic fines associated with not abiding by seat belt rules, read our guide here: gulfnews.com/1.1613631510940 Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Children up to four years of age must be provided with a child safety seat. Violators will be fined Dh400 and slapped with four black points. The front seat passenger should also be at least 145 cm tall and not younger than 10 years old. — Image Credit: Pexels/Erik Mclean

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