No Children On Car’s Front Seat: MVD

Triggered by the recent accident in Kerala in which a 2-year-old kid died after being suffocated by airbags, the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) has decided to strictly enforce child safety in the state. The Motor Vehicle Department will undertake a series of steps to generate awareness among the public and avoid such accidents in the future.

MVD’s Plan Of Action

The department plans to do the enforcement in a phased manner. Initially, they will use social media to run campaigns and raise awareness. Starting in October, this will span a month. After this will come the warning phase. Motorists will be stopped and warned against the risks of front-seat riding of toddlers. The final stage will include strict enforcement of the law and a penalty for its violation. This is expected to start in December.

People often tend to make their kids travel in the front seat. Many think that it is safe to carry the kid in the mother’s lap, in the front seat, wrapped in her arms is safer than leaving him/her in the rear seat. Due to a lack of awareness, most people do not use a Child Restraint System (CRS) either.

The reality is just the opposite. Seating the child in the mother’s lap can be dangerous. Most cars these days come with front passenger airbags. If the child is seated on the mother’s lap, the airbags will open right onto his/her face in the event of a crash.

This could suffocate the child to death, like in the Kerala crash. Airbags work by using controlled explosions inside. These bang against the occupants with great force. This could usually damage the facial bones or nose of an adult occupant.

Looking at the legal side of things, toddlers and kids sitting on the laps of parents, in the co-driver’s seat is a violation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019. section 194 B (1) of the MV Act says “whoever drives a motor vehicle, while carrying children below fourteen years of age or one hundred thirty-five centimetres in height, without providing and ensuring proper safety harness or safety seat belt, shall be punishable with fine”

Further, section 125 A of the Central Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules 2020 mandates the use of CRS. It says “Children below four years must be secured in a child restraint system, and those between four to ten years of below one hundred thirty-five centimetres in height must use a booster cushion or safety harness.”

For a child to be legally eligible to be seated in the front seat, he/she must be 12 years old or above, and/or 135 cm tall, and should be wearing a seatbelt while the vehicle is in motion. Non-compliance will incur fines of Rs 1000 or imprisonment for up to three months or suspension of licence for up to three months.

How Child Seats Can Be Of Help:

In a previous article, we discussed how airbags can be dangerous to toddlers, and talked about the right way to travel with your kid. Investing in a high-quality baby car seat is of utmost importance in ensuring the safety of your kid while on the move. Child seats should be chosen based on the age, weight and body type of the kid. Speccing it with a summer and winter padded reducer will provide additional comfort to the kid. An ideal child seat should have a side safety system. This will be of use in the case of a lateral impact.

Child seats are mounted using special ISOFIX anchorages. These are never to be mounted against an airbag. Usually, the mounts are found on the rear seats for this reason.