Dubai: Police in the UAE are cracking down against careless drivers who allow children to sit in the front seat.
Police in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have launched an awareness campaign to remind motorists that those caught violating the UAE Traffic Law will be issued with a Dh400 fine.
Abu Dhabi Police explained that children below 145 cm and younger than 10 years old are not permitted to sit in the front, and should always be safely secured and fastened with a seat belt.
“If an accident takes place and the child is not wearing the seatbelt, they can be thrown with a force that is similar to falling from the 10th floor,” said police.
Global research shows that seat belts save 40 to 60 per cent of lives and in the case of children, up to 80 per cent of lives.
Police have stressed the need for drivers to install car seats in their vehicles to ensure the safety of children. The Federal Traffic Law indicates that safety seats are mandatory for children under the age of four.
The standard of safety seats approved by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma), which conform to European Union and US standards, state that all child restraint units sold in the country should have a matching certificate.
Child seats
- Group 0: Rear-facing infant carriers for children up to 10kg and up to 13kg, respectively (from birth to nine or 12 months).
- Group 1: Child seats for children weighing 9kg to 18kg (about nine months to four years).
- Group 2 and 3: Full booster seats and cushions for children weighing 15kg to 25kg (about three-and-a-half years to six years) and from 22kg and to 36kg (about six years to 12 years).
Seat belt rule
- All passengers in a car are required to wear seat belts including those sitting in the rear seat, failing which the driver of the vehicle will be fined Dh400 and slapped with four black points.
- Children up to four years of age must be provided with a child safety seat. Violators will be fined AED 400 and slapped with four black points.
- The front seat passenger should also be at least 145 cm tall and not younger than 10 years old.
