Dubai: The UAE Cabinet has approved the draft regulations for child car seats that aim to reduce the risks of injury and boost safety.
The new system was proposed and submitted to the Cabinet by the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (Esma).
Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of State and chairman of Esma, said as per the new system’s regulations, child car seats will have classification tags specifying the seat’s weight and for which age group it can be used. The regulations also include standards for maintaining and installing car seats, and emphasise that a child car seat must have a sturdy seat belt and must pass crash tests for side impacts.
Dr Bin Fahd added that the implementation of the system and its regulations will boost the survival rate of children during traffic accidents. He said that the new regulations complement the new federal traffic law approved by Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, that came into effect this month, which states that motorists must ensure that children under four years are secured in a child car seat.
Abdullah Abdul Qader Al Maeeni, director-general of Esma, said once the regulations are implemented, products that do not acquire a conformity certificate from the authority will not be sold in the local market. He said that the system is in line with the authority’s strategy to include products under its compulsory safety programme, its efforts to bolster the national economy in the industrial and trade sector, in addition to improving the quality of products in local markets.
Al Maeeni highlighted the joint efforts of government and local bodies and strategic partners from the private sector in completing the draft regulations. He pointed out that a copy of the draft regulations was sent to the aforementioned bodies to glean their opinions and views.
