The
installation and proper use of seatbelts for adults and child restraint systems
inside vehicles have been the most important motor vehicle crash safety
innovation that has contributed to a reduction in mortality around the world. Road
traffic injuries are a critical, yet often overlooked, public health issue that
necessitates collaborative actions to be effective and viable. Road traffic
systems are the most important and complicated, and thus the most dangerous, of
all the systems with which people must deal daily. Road Traffic Collisions
(RTC) are a primary cause of death, claiming the lives of over 1.3 million
people every year, half of them are between the ages of 15 and 44. Over 50
million disjointed patients may suffer further injuries as a result of this. It
is, however, frequently avoidable. Rising vehicle collision safety has lately
resulted in a reduction in fatality rates.
Being
buckled up during a crash serves to keep one safe and secure inside
the car; being ejected totally from a car is almost always fatal. It works
by maintaining a more static motion in the passenger despite a quick stop or
shift in speed car. The seat belt usually stops this from happening. When the
vehicle hits something or is hit by something, its inertia change that is an
object’s tendency to move until something works against the motion of that
object. Without the seat belt, occupants can be thrown into various parts of
the interior of the car, or completely out of the car. When properly worn, a
seat belt distributes the braking force across the wearer's pelvis and rib
cage. Because these two sections of the body are the sturdiest part
and help to reduce the impact of the accident on the body. The seat belt
is comprised of a webbed fabric that is sturdy but flexible enough to allow for
a small amount of movement but to protect a person in a crash it needs to be a
tight fit with a little stretch.
According
to WHO, statistics show that seat belts save breathes and when used properly by
reducing the chance of fatal injury to front-seat passengers by 45% and the risk
of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. For those riding on the rear seats of
the vehicle throughout crash motor vehicles, rear seat belts have 73% higher
chances of preventing fatalities. Detain mind that victims do not seem to be
properly restrained in more than half of all fatal road accidents. Moreover,
children, seemingly to be buckled 92% of the time once adults within the
vehicle use seat belts and on the contrary 72% of the time once adults seem to
be neglected it. Of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 47%
were not wearing seat belts. Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and
could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat
belts, in 2017 alone.
Child
restraints in automobiles are used in a wide range of countries; however, they
are mostly limited to high-income countries. The child restraint
system functions similarly to adult seatbelts. The usage of
restraint is determined by the child's age and weight: rear-facing chairs are
best for young infants, while forward-facing restraints are best for infants
and toddlers, and older children; booster seats with seatbelts are beneficial.
Child restraints (car seats and booster seats) can reduce infant and
toddler mortality in automobile accidents by 71% and 54%, respectively.
The present ‘Road
Transport act-2018’, only stated in the sub-section of the first part of
section 49, “the passengers must follow the prescribed provisions regarding
seatbelt fastening”. In this section, though it is prescribed to wear seatbelts
and this ‘passenger’ means only the front seat passenger. Nevertheless, people
from the back seat get injured more in case of a road accident. This is a
serious issue that can cause a way more critical situation. However, it is
recommended that, through this law, for all drivers, including the front and
rear-seat passengers a usable seatbelt should be ensured. Along with this, the use
of seat belts by all the vehicle occupants sitting in the vehicle would be a must
at any cost. It could be brought under consideration to make the replacement of
seatbelts is mandatory, as some vehicles do not have seatbelts for drivers and
passengers as well. It would be a must that, if all the passengers are not
properly secured with seat belts fastened and in a failed case of ensuring
proper and restrained behavior of all passengers in compliance with traffic
laws the driver as well as the passengers of the vehicle should be made
responsible.
In
addition there is no mention about the child restraint system as in child seat
inside the vehicle in RTA- 2018 whereas it is a very critical issue for the
death of the children while road accidents.
According to the international best practice guidelines for the movement
of children, a child has to sit in a suitable place and safety management in
the car consistent with his age, shape, and weight. An adult's seatbelt does
not provide adequate protection to a child. Therefore, children should be given
the best protection by taking appropriate measures considering their vulnerable
position. It is explicitly recommended that all children of a certain age,
especially those under 12 years of age, be required to comply with certain
provisions of the CRS-Child Restraint System.
The Dhaka Ahsania
Mission (DAM) has begun working on road safety issues by concentrating all of
its efforts on introducing the section on child restraint systems. DAM has
taken initiatives for the first time on road safety issue in Bangladesh through
sensitizing the responsible personnel from ministry and relevant departments to
amend the Road Transport Act-2018. This year's UN Global Road Safety Week (May
17-23) was commemorated by DAM under the slogan "Streets for Life". "We
demand safe seats for us in motor vehicle," children participating in
"Social Media Solidarity" organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Health
Sector asked on the occasion of UN Global Road Safety Week 2021 (May 17-23) on
19 May 2021. This is the first initiative that has been raised by children in
Bangladesh for the child restraint system.
Dr. Tasnim Mehbuba
Bandhan
Advocacy Officer
(Policy)
Health Sector
Dhaka Ahsania
Mission
1. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/world-report-on-road-traffic-injury-prevention