A REMINDER TO PARENTS ABOUT HOW TO PROPERLY TRANSPORT CHILDREN IN CAR SEATS

In commemoration of the International Day for the Protection of Children, a raid was conducted in Vilnius on the initiative of the Transport Competence Agency (TKA) and the Lithuanian Traffic Police on June 1. During it, parents were informed about how to transport their children safely and correctly, they were given leaflets with useful information prepared by TKA specialists.

Statistics show that more than 30 percent children transported in special seats are fastened incorrectly and this leads to serious injuries during traffic accidents. in 2021 TKA conducted road safety studies, during which it was checked whether parents are transporting children correctly in cars, whether the seats correspond to the child’s age and height and are properly fastened. This research led the Transport Competence Agency to prepare and publish a memo to parents.

The research results are not encouraging

in 2021 the data of the conducted traffic safety survey revealed that 85 percent parents transport their children in special car seats, but only 68% of them. transports correctly, i.e. by properly fastening and using age- and weight-appropriate seats.

“The results of the conducted research are not encouraging – more than 30 percent children transported in special seats are fastened incorrectly and this leads to serious injuries during traffic accidents. Accident data show that the consequences of traffic accidents when using special seats are significantly milder than when not using them. After evaluating the 2018-2021 traffic accident data revealed that the number of children under 12 who were involved in a traffic accident and were not transported in seats specially adapted to their height and weight, died and were seriously injured (i.e. suffered serious bodily injuries and were treated in hospital) was even 4 times higher than those children , who got into a traffic accident while sitting in specially adapted car seats”, says Evaldas Morkūnas, head of the TKA Transport Services Department.

The mentioned study is one of the parts of the international project “Collection of the main traffic safety indicators” carried out by TKA and other European Union countries. The purpose of this project is to carry out traffic safety research and calculate traffic safety indicators in Lithuania, including areas such as speeding, use of seat belts and child seats, distraction of drivers (use of telephones), car safety, road safety and first aid time in the event of a traffic accident. .

“Such studies are extremely important to ensure safe and smooth road traffic. The obtained results reveal which road traffic problems are the most relevant and in which areas drivers lack the most education.”, E. Morkūnas shared his thoughts.

Aims to draw attention to children’s safety

Various social advertisements, actions carried out by the police, changing behavior of road users and increasing awareness of responsibility are yielding positive results – Lithuanians no longer need to explain why children must be transported in seats intended for them. But parents still lack the knowledge to do it right.

“TKA takes care not only of improving the road infrastructure, but also takes a responsible view of the safety of all road users participating in the traffic. The results of the conducted research led to the public’s attention to this problem once again. That is why we are here today. In commemoration of the International Children’s Day, June 1st, together with the police officers, we decided to organize this campaign, the purpose of which is not to punish, but to remind parents once again how important it is to take care of children’s safety when traveling,” says Evaldas Morkūnas, head of the TKA Transport Services Department. .

Made the little ones happy

During the raid, Lithuanian traffic police officers distributed an informative leaflet prepared by TKA to parents with tips on what to pay attention to when choosing a suitable car seat for their child, and children were given a playful task – to color Kliunkis, a teddy bear traveling safely in a car.

“Statistics show that the correct transportation of children is a sensitive problem, so we are glad that we can contribute to a preventive project that will once again remind parents about the importance of properly fastening children in a seat and thus avoid serious consequences,” says the head of the Police Department’s Communication Department. Ramūnas Matonis.

According to E. Morkūnas, it is expected that the leaflets distributed during the campaign will encourage parents to take an even more responsible view of their children’s safety and the research conducted next year will confirm this.

“We plan to distribute the prepared leaflets not only during this raid, but also in other places relevant to parents, such as maternity hospitals. TKA together with publicity partners: Lithuanian Police, Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Lithuania and Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration will share this news on our websites and social networks. We can also offer a digital version of this leaflet. Therefore, we recommend educational and other institutions to contact TKA – we will be happy to share this information,” he says.

The police officers who handed out the flyers say that during the raid the parents met them positively, and the little passengers were amused when they got the coloring task.

You can download the leaflet here.