Traffic authorities have warned motorists against leaving children in locked cars to prevent dangerous situations. Motorists must ensure that they don’t leave their children locked inside their cars even if they need to go somewhere for just a few minutes. Several incidents of leaving children in locked cars have been recently reported across the UAE, which has become a major concern for traffic authorities. Several child safety campaigns have been launched by authorities to educate motorists about the importance of ensuring the safety of children. It is important to know that the risk of deaths increases significantly if children are left inside locked cars during the summer season due to extremely hot and humid weather conditions.
Recent Incidents of Leaving Children in Locked Cars
Several recent incidents of children being left in locked cars have been reported across the UAE. Some of these unfortunate incidents have even resulted in deaths of children, which is the reason why authorities have decided to take a tougher stance against motorists who put the safety of children at risk.
In a recent incident, a six-year-old lost his life after being stranded in a school bus while sleeping. The exposure to intense heat was identified as the major reason behind the death of the child. In another such incident, a 2-year-old child barely managed to stay alive after being stranded in his father’s vehicle while he had left to offer his prayer. The child developed complications after suffering from suffocation and is still in a critical condition.
Authorities Advise Motorists to Ensure Safety of Children
Traffic authorities in the UAE have been actively involved in implementing new safety protocols for children. Several new child safety rules were introduced in the new traffic law that was implemented in the UAE on July 1, 2017. These rules were implemented to ensure that motorists follow safety guidelines while traveling with children to avoid dangerous situations.
Traffic authorities have also increased the surveillance of school zones to ensure the safety of children. The speed limit has been reduced in school zones to eliminate the risk of runover accidents while motorists have also been asked to stop their vehicles when the stop sign of a school bus has been displayed.
With these initiatives, the safety of children has improved significantly in the UAE. However, children being left stranded inside the vehicles is still a massive child safety concern for traffic authorities. Sharjah Police recently posted a video on its Twitter account to highlight the risks of leaving children in locked vehicles.
حياتهم مسؤوليتكم وتوعيتكم مسؤوليتنا pic.twitter.com/692uvgjE8M
— شرطة الشارقة (@ShjPolice) June 30, 2019
In this video, it can be clearly seen that a child was accidentally left inside the vehicle while parents and other children went outside. The child can be seen banging on the windows of the vehicle and calling for help as he was tragically left inside the vehicle while sleeping. Such incidents can prove to have fatal consequences as children are mostly not aware of the safety practices that they should follow in an emergency.
Penalties for Leaving Children Locked Inside Vehicles
Leaving children locked inside the vehicles is considered a serious violation of the Child Rights Law that was introduced for the first time in 2016. Parents need to know that they can face serious penalties for child negligence and for ignoring the safety of their children. According to authorities, courts can impose significant sentences and fines of up to AED 1 million for child negligence. The fear of serious legal actions and the realization of keeping children away from dangerous situations should make parents more aware and responsible in their approach while traveling with children.
Bottom-line
Traffic authorities have started child safety campaigns across the UAE to promote awareness about the safety protocols that should be followed while traveling with children. Authorities have advised motorists to be careful as courts can make a statement of intent when it comes to serious matters such as child safety.
It is important for parents to understand that children are unaware of the hazards and risks surrounding them and it is their responsibility to keep children away from dangerous situations.
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