lesson learnt.

RIP baby girl. I weep with d mother. She wld regret lettin her sit in d front sit dat day. Air bag kill adults too. Hence b careful,God wil protect us all.

Meddler: FRSC shud do a better job of enlightening people of car safety. I see this everyday - mother's carry their young ones on their lap sitting at the passenger's side or children sitting at the passenger's side.

If you own a car then I assume you could afford a car seat for children under a certain age or afford to practice better car safety. People are just not informed. No need to waste precious life like this kid. Its so sad.

May her little soul RIP

I have seen worse. A child sitting on the laps of the driver and steering with the driver

The Federal Road Safety Commission warns that children below the age of 12 should not be allowed to sit in the front seat and minors who are seated at the back should be strapped in and seated on a child-car seat.

Failure to comply with this warning could lead to arrest and prosecution.

May she rest in peace.

RIP dear! May the gud lord console her family

Sleep well Angel.

Egemole: [b][/b]
Oh, rest in peace of the Lord

u must be an imbeci.le to have quoted the whole article, only to drop one line.

RIP to the dead, some Ladies need both intensive & extensive training before a car key is thrown at them. They are mostly naive when it comes to technical issues.

All cars with airbags have such warning signs about keeping kids in front seats...its total negligence & or ignorance on the mum's part not to heed to that.

Once again, RIP poor little girl

God knows the best.

[size=14pt]Bad news for delinquent motorists
... As FRSC vows to enforce child car seat laws[/size]

By TESSY IGOMU
Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Are you in the habit of driving around with children in your car without having them strapped at the back in safety car seats? Well, you may want to reconsider the habit. Due to the increasing number of infant deaths in car crashes, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Lagos State Command, says it will soon begin to clamp down on parents who indulge in such practices.

The decision isn’t without justification. Several deaths and injuries involving helpless kids are being recorded across Nigeria and the FRSC says it is determined to halt the trend.

Bimpe, her husband and their six-month-old baby were returning from a social function when their car had a head on collision with another vehicle somewhere in Ajah, Lagos.

The baby who was sleeping on Bimpe’s lap was immediately ejected through the windscreen. He died on the spot.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Bimpe and her husband only suffered minor injuries because they were restrained by their seat belts, while the baby died because there was nothing to hold him back during the impact.

Across the country, children are regularly maimed or killed in road accidents. The fatalities happen because parents or guardians fail to adhere to road safety precautions for transporting children.

Many of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented if the children were restrained by baby seats that are suitable for their sizes and weight and are securely fitted.

Seat belts on their own are less effective for children because they are primarily designed for adults. In a crash, a child may slide under an adult belt because the lap strap is too high over their abdomen. It could also cause serious internal injuries.

Car accident, according to reports, is one of the leading causes of acquired disability like brain injury and paralysis in children. The National Centre for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), USA, said approximately 20 per cent of children who die in car accidents annually are killed because they were not strapped in car seats. This means that on any given day nearly 700 children are harmed due to road accidents. Also, out of 250,000 kids injured each year, approximately 2,000 die from their injuries, while children make up about 5 per cent of total fatalities in car accidents.

Not only is an unrestrained child a potential distraction to a driver but also the failure to use a car seat dramatically increases the chance of a child suffering serious injury or death.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a properly installed and used child safety seat lowers a child’s risk of death by 71 per cent for infants and by 54 per cent for toddlers between the ages of 1 to 4.


FRSC Sector Commander in Lagos State, Mr. Jonas Agwu, says it is not appropriate to have children under 12 years sit in the front seat of a moving car. Even car manufacturers, he noted, have repeatedly warned against such acts because airbags, located in the front of vehicles cab automatically kill a child on impact.

“Infants are expected to be placed backing the adult seat in front. Parents are also expected to strap their children in approved child safety seats but compliance rate is almost zero,” he lamented.


Nigerians, he said, have out of attitude, not ignorance, killed their children, adding that parents would use seat belts and ignore the safety of their own children.

He noted that Nigerians tend to see seat belt and car seat as an alien culture but fail to realise that safety and even accident has no boundary.
His words: “Some people would say car seats are expensive but I usually ask them, what is the value of their baby? Why spend two million to buy a car and then think buying a car seat for N20, 000 is expensive? Lagosians are not ignorant but rather have an attitude problem. How would a couple strap themselves and leave their baby at the back unstrapped. If I deserve to be alive, my baby also deserves to live too. The seat belt and children car seat is for safety. This is the mindset the FRSC is out to change.

“The National Road Traffic Regulation of 2004, Section 53, 3 and 4 says that when a vehicle is in motion, everybody in the vehicle must be strapped. The section did not draw a line between an adult and a baby. Everybody should use the belt. I am not sure you will get nine out of ten people who would tell you the seat belt is meant to prevent an accident. I believe we would be able to break that attitude that prevents people from thinking safety and safety for their baby.”

The FRSC boss further noted that though there is no exact statistics on the number of children involved in road accident but the fact that it can happen should put fear in the heart of parents. “Must we wait until it happens to us before we take steps towards preventing it”, he asked.


Mr. Agwu explained that often times when an accident occurs involving adults and children, they might have been helped out of the wreckage before FRSC officials arrive. This, he said, necessitated the government to make a law compelling people involved in an accident to inform the appropriate authorities.
“Most times, it is a little difficult to get the exact data. I believe that when Nigerians comply with the new law about reporting accidents, we would be able to have a reliable data on the number of infants involved in crashes. Getting the exact number by simply analysing road accident data might be a little tricky.”

Apathy on the part of Nigerians, especially Lagosians towards child safety, is saddening, says Agwu. He added that the need to raise the awareness gave rise to the ‘Child Passenger Safety Campaign’ which involves Celebrity Special Marshals and NGOs in Lagos.


“We flagged off the campaign on February 11, 2010, invoking the provision of the National Road Traffic Regulation of 2004, Section 53, 3 and 4. The strategy adopted so far has been effective and we are gradually seeing changes. We now have more vehicles on the road with car seats and children strapped in them.

“Any child under 12 years should be put at the back seat, strapped in a car seat. Those above 12 should have booster cushion fitted for them to help position seat belt and improve view from the car. We have seen people commit blunders by strapping their baby in a car seat without the car seat itself being strapped by seat belt. The right thing to do is to first strap the car seat properly with the seat belt, and then use the seat belt in the car seat to strap the baby. In the event of a crash, the baby is restrained by the car seat belt and the baby’s car seat.”

How would a sensible father put his daughter in the front seat!!! That was wrong, wrong and wrong safety procedure.. There are restraints for children in the back seats.... Too bad...

Ikonz:

u must be an imbeci.le to have quoted the whole article, only to drop one line.

RIP to the dead, some Ladies need both intensive & extensive training before a car key is thrown at them. They are mostly naive when it comes to technical issues.

All cars with airbags have such warning signs about keeping kids in front seats...its total negligence & or ignorance on the mum's part not to heed to that.

Once again, RIP poor little girl

While a lot of us may have reservations about women's driving, this has nothing to do with women. Men are as guilty of careless with respect to child safety in cars

Ignorance of parents. Never leave a child in the front seat!!
Next time think safety first before giving in to childish whims.

Death should be easy since life is hard.

Burger01: How would a sensible father put his daughter in the front seat!!! That was wrong, wrong and wrong safety procedure.. There are restraints for children in the back seats.... Too bad...

seems u are more than senseless!
Can u quote where it was stated that d father was d one driving?
Read through again.

RIP little angel. May God grant d parents d fortitude to bear this loss.

FRSC does not need to do any safety campaign. All vehicles are boldly fitted with this warning. People simply choose to ignore it. See what the woman has caused the innocent girl. In advanced countries, she would be charged with involuntary manslaughter or something. Simply reckless!

RIP to the innocent soul.

Meddler: FRSC shud do a better job of enlightening people of car safety. I see this everyday - mother's carry their young ones on their lap sitting at the passenger's side or children sitting at the passenger's side.

If you own a car then I assume you could afford a car seat for children under a certain age or afford to practice better car safety. People are just not informed. No need to waste precious life like this kid. Its so sad.

May her little soul RIP

Burger01: How would a sensible father put his daughter in the front seat!!! That was wrong, wrong and wrong safety procedure.. There are restraints for children in the back seats.... Too bad...

seems u are more than senseless!
Can u quote where it was stated that d father was d one driving?
Read through again biko.

RIP little angel. May God grant d parents d fortitude to bear this loss.

[quote

author=Burger01]How would a sensible father put his daughter in the
front seat!!! That was wrong, wrong and wrong safety procedure.. There
are restraints for children in the back seats.... Too bad... [/quote]

dear is not a father but a
mother,please read the article before commenting.ok

The fault is 4rm the mum. Dont kip infants in the front seat of ur cars. She was xpresing her luv 4 the kid at the wrong location. RIP little one.

I'm 103% sure she's in heaven right now, but i stil feel sorry for the family. R.I.P

I am looking for the mother, so that i can wooze her one dirty slap, lousy driver and a baby-killer. Rip young one.

naijababe:

I have seen worse. A child sitting on the laps of the driver and steering with the driver

if i am v.i.o, road safty, police,lasma etc and i catch any f00l doing dat bolded part above, i will arrest the driver and make sure the govt takes the baby from them

jagabanban: FRSC does not need to do any safety campaign. All vehicles are boldly fitted with this warning. People simply choose to ignore it. See what the woman has caused the innocent girl. In advanced countries, she would be charged with involuntary manslaughter or something. Simply reckless!

RIP to the innocent soul.

there are all sorts of horrible adverts against dangerous driving in the uk. yes horrible - the idea is to show you the full horror of the consequences of unsafe driving practices.

safety campaigns are essential.

the warnings in cars are more oriented towards class action protection, imho

begwong:
seems u are more than senseless!
Can u quote where it was stated that d father was d one driving?
Read through again biko.

RIP little angel. May God grant d parents d fortitude to bear this loss.

kettle calling pot black e neva reach quarrel, just correct him, besides, he could be reffering to any incident

Most at times i ask myself if God still alive.

Ikonz:

u must be an imbeci.le to have quoted the whole article, only to drop one line.

RIP to the dead, some Ladies need both intensive & extensive training before a car key is thrown at them. They are mostly naive when it comes to technical issues.

All cars with airbags have such warning signs about keeping kids in front seats...its total negligence & or ignorance on the mum's part not to heed to that.

Once again, RIP poor little girl

If there are 4 children . where the hell is mother supposed to keep the children except in front seat especially in a saloon car.

EKONGKING:

If there are 4 children . where the hell is mother supposed to keep the children except in front seat especially in a saloon car.

oga 4get talk, na people like u like agidi, even if na volkswagen beetle, it will contain 4 of those kid at the back, abi u think say no nairalander get car?

bebe2: This is such a tragedy, sometimes busy body can get the better of us especially me am always in a hurry to get my kids in the car then I will scream while driving " guys seat belt on" without checking to make sure they ve done it

In 2007 my hubby and I were taking my mum to heathrow airport, we drove all the way from manchester to heathrow no probs, just before the airport we were stopped by police. They checked my kids car seats and started to query me because I put my son in the middle of the back seat. I argued that he was on a car seat, they said my mum shud have sat in the middle and the child on either side of her becos the seat belt has to ve a shoulder strap. Before they left one of the female officers said my kids were beautiful and she didnt want the be scooping their remains off the highway. That sent chills down my spine. Each time remember dat, I take the time to strap them on properly.

Rest in peace chizurum xx

Sweet!

I have a question though.. in addition to the fact that the child was in the front seat, will a seat belt have helped to minimise the impact
This applies to adult too

RipRipRip