It is illegal for anyone under the height of 1.35m to be unsecured when travelling in a vehicle. Passengers below that height must be secured in child restraints, booster seats or adjustable seat belts while travelling in a vehicle.
But not all parents are aware of that, with some assuming that a regular three-point seat belt in school buses would suffice.
A new school bus safety programme, launched by child vehicle safety team Taxi Baby Singapore, aims to help parents and schools better comply with car seat rules here.
Under the scheme, Taxi Baby Singapore will provide schools with access to approved child restraints like booster seats, and train teacher aides and bus attendants on how to use them properly.
Two schools – the Stamford American International School and the Australian International School – have already joined the programme, with more schools set to come on board, said Ms Elise Mawson, founder of Taxi Baby Singapore.
She said that while it is the legal responsibility of small bus drivers to ensure that children under the height of 1.35m are strapped in with an approved child restraint, it may not necessarily be the responsibility of bus drivers to provide that form of protection for children.
In fact, that responsibility most naturally sits with the parents – but not all parents may be aware of this. This is where Taxi Baby comes in to fill the gap.
Ms Mawson said that they hope this can give parents “an easy option to keep their children safe, and provide a workable solution for schools and transport providers”.
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