New Survey Reveals Why Motorists in the UAE don’t Use Child Safety Seats

“Child Safety Seats” are essential for the safety of children while commuting in a vehicle. Installing proper child seats in a vehicle can potentially save children from minor to potentially fatal injuries in event of an accident. However, the awareness about the child seats in the UAE is still in its infancy and according to the latest Survey conducted by “RoadSafetyUAE” and “QIC Insured”, almost one-third of the residents in the UAE don’t really give importance to child safety seats. This figure is alarming, keeping in view the fact that fatal road accidents in the UAE are a major road safety concern for traffic authorities.

Major Findings of the New Survey by RoadSafetyUAE and QIC Insured

The latest survey conducted by RoadSafetyUAE and QIC Insured brings into consideration some important facts which highlight the lack of awareness and understanding about the child safety amongst the motorists in the UAE. The fundamental findings of the survey report reveal that 34% of the motorists in the UAE don’t really give importance to the child seats and don’t consider it as an essential safety feature for their children. This is basically the first part of the two-part survey conducted by “RoadSafetyUAE” and “QIC Insured” and 1,000 respondents were included in the first part.

Listed below were the major findings of the survey:

1. 34% of the motorists don’t have child safety seats or booster cushions in their cars.
2. Among the 66% motorists who had proper safety seats for kids in their cars, 30% do not ask their children to buckle-up.
3. 42% young parents don’t ask their kids to wear seat belts.
4. Emiratis top the list of motorists who don’t have child safety seats in their cars with a percentage of 47%.
5. Based on Age, 42% of the respondents of the survey aged between 18 and 29 didn’t have child safety seats installed in their cars.
6. 44% of the motorists never really asked all the passengers of their cars to buckle-up, highlighting the need for building an understanding about the importance of seatbelts.
7. Only 11% of the adults buckled-up while sitting in the rear seats.
8. 55% of the passengers at the back seat felt safe without using seat belts.

These were the fundamental findings of the survey, and while giving his opinion on the state of road safety in the UAE, Thomas Edelmann, who is the founder of RoadSafetyUAE suggested that it is important to understand the reasons given by motorists for not installing child seats in their cars. Only by understanding these reasons authorities can help address the concerns of motorists and find a way to maximize child safety in cars.

Detailed Findings of the Survey Reveal Why Motorists Don’t Use Child Safety Seats

The survey also explored the reasons for not using child safety seats and there were different reasons that came to light.

Following were the detailed findings of the survey highlighting the reasons given by motorists for not installing child safety seats in their cars:

1. 29% of the motorists find child safety seats too expensive to install in their cars.
2. 15% of motorists think it is safer if a passenger of the cars holds a child than the use of child safety seats.
3. 28% felt children get agitated being strapped in.
4. 25% of motorists didn’t know where they could buy the child safety seats.
5. 7% of motorists had religious reasons to avoid the use of seat belts.
6. 15% believed they could remain careful in order to avoid an accident so they didn’t need the child safety seats.
7. 11% motorists didn’t use child safety seats as they felt these safety seats couldn’t protect their child.
8. 37% motorists didn’t want to use child seats because they thought child safety seats were not needed for short trips.
9. 5% of motorists just rejected the use of child safety seats as they didn’t find it relevant to their culture.

The analysis of the reasons given by motorists for not using child safety seats and seat belts highlights concerns of motorists. Understanding these concerns is something that the authorities can do and this survey can be therefore of great use to them.

New Traffic Rule Amendments in Dubai Highlight the Importance of Child Safety Seats

The recent change in the traffic rules in Dubai emphasized on the importance of the use of child safety seats and seat belts. The new rules will be implemented from July 1, 2017, and motorists not complying with the amended rules could be penalized with strict fines and black points.

Listed below will be the new rules in this regard:

1. Motorists must have child safety seats in their car for children under 4 years of age.
2. Seatbelts will be mandatory for driver and passengers of front and back seats.
3. Any passenger with a height below 145cm will not be allowed to sit in the front seat.
4. Passengers in the front seat must not be aged below 10 years.

These child safety rules are essential as they ensure the safety of children and anyone not obeying these rules can face serious penalties once these rules are implemented in Dubai. According to the new rules, a fine of AED 400 per passenger could be faced by motorists for not using seatbelts while driving. Child safety in the UAE has been a concern for traffic authorities for quite some time and this is why the traffic rules have been amended.

Also read: New Traffic Rule Amendments in Dubai – Everything You Need to Know

Importance of Child Safety Seats

Regardless of the type and magnitude of the concerns of motorists about the use of child safety seats and seat belts, installing the child safety seat in a car is critical to the safety of children and this must be understood by every motorist in the UAE. Children become vulnerable in event of even a minor road accident if the child safety seats are not installed in a car. The child safety seats are perfectly designed to hold the children in the best possible way, and this is why motorist must consider and recognize the importance of the safety seat system for kids in their cars.

Getting the “child safety seat anchors” installed in a car can be expensive but there are cars available in the UAE car market that have the ISO Fix Child Seat Anchors pre-installed.

If you are concerned about the safety of your child and you are looking to buy a new car with ISO Fix Child Seat Anchors pre-installed, then don’t forget that you can sell your used car to SellAnyCar.com in 30 minutes. We buy any car in any condition in just 30 minutes, guarantee a 100% hassle-free process and handle all the post-sale paperwork.