KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — A law requiring rear passengers in vehicles to buckle up was introduced in 2009.
Those found guilty would be issued a summons of RM300 by police or the Road Transport Department.
Yet, many continue to ignore the law.
Shockingly, passengers aged 17 and below are exempted from this ruling. The RTD website also revealed the wearing of seat belts is not compulsory for toddlers seated on a passenger’s lap, pregnant women and persons with medical conditions.
The law in the United Kingdom requires children to be “properly restrained” while those aged 12 and above or have reached the height of 135cm are required to wear seat belts.
In Singapore, children aged eight and below must be secured with an appropriate child restraint and are not allowed to sit on an adult’s lap.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abd Aziz Kaprawi stressed the law was an important safety measure to minimise injuries during accidents.
“Those seated in front and behind must wear seat belts. The law remains and people should look at it as a necessity and not as a burden,” he said.
However, RTD enforcement chief Jaafar Mohamed said the department “could not force members of the public to buckle up”.
“We have enforced the law but if people still choose to take the matter lightly, then it is up to them. We cannot force people to wear seat belts.”
Jaafar said the public must appreciate the importance of road safety and that every individual was responsible for their own safety.
“We cannot solely rely on enforcement because if we do, then without it we would not have the initiative to do it ourselves,” he said.
Asked about the safety of infants, Jaafar said enforcement was unnecessary as the parents should be aware of the safety of their children and use the necessary child restraint to buckle them up.
“Not everything must be written in the law and parents need not wait for us to legislate safety measures for their children,” he said.
Children rights group Voice of the Children (VoC) begged to differ.
Its chairman, Sharmila Sekaran, said: “We must have laws to ensure children are protected.
It is not only the parents’ responsibility to ensure their safety.”
She said that while the public needs to be educated on the importance of buckling up their children in vehicles, the law should be enhanced with added legislation on child car safety.
“What we need is a law that can discipline the public to be responsible,” she said.
