It is a known fact that children are the most vulnerable passengers inside your car. Being inquisitive in nature, they tend to move around, even in transit, such that keeping them still inside the car can be such a daunting task.
On that context alone, the young ones are the ones that are more susceptible to the perils of being on the road. All over the globe, thousands upon thousands of young lives are taken abruptly due to vehicular accidents just because adults are taking child safety very lightly.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are total of 1.35 million people died every year in road traffic crashed. In fact, road traffic injuries are now the second leading cause of death among Filipino children aged 0 to 17 years old.
In the Philippines, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported a total of 101,428 road accidents recorded in the country—with 336 deaths, 15,520 serious injuries, and 85,572 resulted in damage property—from January to December of 2018.
Here’s the reality: one of the main reasons that children are getting killed or seriously injured while on the road is not wearing seatbelts—which in the Philippines, is a blatant disregards of Republic Act No 11229, also known as the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte early February of this year.
An average of 667 children—those 14 years old and below—died every year from 2006 to 2015, according to Philippine Statistics Authority, as it stressed that while seat belts can save lives, infants and children need a more specific type of car seats in case of a road accident.
Nursery Care Corporation, the company behind the successful brand Baby Company, recently launched its corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign which aims to support government’s Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act law.
Dubbed as “Buckle Up Baby”, the primary focus of the event is to help create awareness of child passenger safety education and enforcement in preventing child passenger deaths and injuries.
In his welcome remarks, Ponciano Manalo, President of Nursery Care Corporation, said, “We are at SM and very appreciative on the passage of Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act law. This is an important milestone for us in partnering and supporting government initiatives.”
“The children represents the future of our country. We have to make sure that when our children travel to different places they are safe and secure. Our customers welfare especially the children are so important because in everything that we do, it is in the heart of SM history, and heart of SM retail store globally to provide the best quality, safe, and state-of-the-art products,” explained Manalo.
During the event, participating child car seats brand such as Chicco, Aprica, Graco, MaxiCosi, Joie, and Picolo displayed their products and explained how each products benefits the child’s safety in the car.
Pierre Flores, Sales and Marketing Manager of Europlay Distributor Co. Inc., the exclusive distributor of Chicco brand, explained that not all child car seats are equal. “Not every car seat fits every child. You must ensure that the car seat is secured firmly to the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, or LATCH or International Standards Organization Fix (ISOFIX) for your child’s safety.”
“Our product—particularly the NextFit Zip convertible car seat—offers a different level of safety features. It is lighter and can secure even on newborn babies. While cushion keeps your child comfortable, it’s steel frame and side-impact protection offers extra protection,” adds Flores.
The Baby Company“Buckle Up Baby” Road Safety event is in partnership with Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc, the exclusive distributor of Hyundai cars in the country.
The event will run from May 10 to 12 at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium in Pasay City.