8% of parents do not protect their children in the car
There is a lot of talk about how important it is to teach children road safety education but, for that, you have to start at home. Parents know the importance of avoiding traffic accidents and that the belt is an indispensable companion in the trip but, do we fulfill our duty? In Spain, 8 percent of parents do not protect their children in the car.
According to a study by the Mapfre Foundation, eight percent of parents recognize that, at least sporadically, does not protect your children with the obligatory safety seats, some data that are "very worrying", as highlighted by the director of the Road Safety area of the foundation, Jesús Monclús.
Road safety, a long way to go
The study has focused on children between four and 10 years old, since children between five and nine years old have the highest mortality rate on the road, doubling even that of the rest of the occupants.
According to the published data, Children between six and nine years old are exposed to the greatest risks when they travel as occupants in tourism and vans. This is related to the increased mobility of children and the fact that parents stop using booster seats "too soon", according to the foundation.
Specifically, this same study reveals that 28 percent of children between six and eight years old, and 38 percent of those between eight and 10 years old, use directly seat belts for adults, something that should not be done, because these belts do not fit the body and, therefore, are less efficient.
In addition, the work also indicates that six percent of parents change the baby seat (group 0+) for a booster seat (group 2), and not for group chairs 1. Also, 55 percent of parents say they do not change from a chair to an elevator because they consider them "dangerous and unsafe."
The rules of circulation for small
Another interesting issue about which the Mapfre Foundation asked in its study is about the parents' knowledge about the existing regulations regarding the circulation of children, detecting that 33.5 percent do not know what height is the height at which the law allows children to wear a seat belt instead of a pushchair.
Asked about the weight of children, only 35 percent of respondents know that children should stop using child restraint chairs when they exceed 36 kilos.
All this shows that it is necessary to improve the knowledge of parents about road safety systems to convince them that it is good for children to continue using elevators until, at least, 12 years old (or 1.35 meters tall). As they explain, Babies are more protected in the car, but it can not be forgotten that those between four and 10 years old "are also very vulnerable".
Angela R. Bonachera
