Free child car seats in taxis at Emirati airport

Date: 31/12/2012

The international airport in Sharjah in the (UAE) United Arab Emirates is now served by taxis which offer free child car seats.

As part of its Sustainable Transportation contributes to the development of Society initiative, Sharjah Transport, which runs the taxis, is offering the seats upon request.

63 per cent of children under the age of 14 who die in the UAE are killed in traffic accidents, and by being put in an appropriate car seat, their chances of serious injury or death are greatly reduced.

To begin with, the fleet serving Sharjah International Airport has been equipped with four such seats to help transport children safely to their destination.

Abdul Aziz Al Jarwan, Director of Franchising and Licensing at Sharjah Transport, said: "The airport will focus on taxi services for ladies and families and will be available in Sharjah Transport Office located at the airport."

The car seats will be offered to passengers travelling with children to all destinations and a larger number will be available in the future.

While many people have the safety equipment fitted into their own vehicles, not having access to the safety measure in taxis has presented a problem in the past.

It is important that a child travels in the right seat for their age and size to ensure that they get the protection they need should the car be involved in an accident.

Over the course of the last 12 months, the Sharjah Ladies' Club has undertaken an awareness campaign in order to emphasise the importance of seatbelts.

The Children’s Safety Awareness Campaign handed out advice to parents about the best precautions to take and how to set up car seats properly, including avoiding the place where the airbags would inflate.

It was hoped that the initiative would increase the number of Emirati families using car seats, as research has found that only two per cent do. The campaign also encouraged the use of seat belts.

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News