Johannesburg, October 2023 – Vehicle crashes remain on of the biggest causes of child mortality and injury in South Africa—road accidents claimed the lives of 2257 children, and 45 000 children were affected by road crashes in 2021 alone. However, says Peggie Mars, Founder of Wheel Well, using car seats can reduce the effect on children dramatically.
Wheel Well is an NGO providing services related to car seats, including cleaning and advice. Donated and expertly refurbished car seats are made available to parents who cannot afford to buy new ones.“Car seats can reduce child deaths in vehicle accidents by over 70%, and injuries by 67%—but only if the child is in the right seat, used correctly,” she says. “It’s quite complicated, but we need to get this right—it’s literally a life-or-death matter.”Mars shares the life-protecting information parents need to ensure their children are protected by the right car seat used in the correct way:
- There’s a car seat for each stage of development.
Infant seats are always rear-facing and are designed to keep a baby safe when it’s most vulnerable. Infants’ heads, necks and spines are particularly susceptible to injury. Infant seats provide side-impact protection and create a “safe zone” to protect the baby against intrusions that might occur in a crash. Infants up to 15 months should be using this kind of seat. Blue marks indicate the seat-belt route. These seats can be used as a rocker or feeding chair as well. Never place a baby in a seat while wrapped in a blanket, and don’t use the seat for long periods of sleep. Most importantly, the harness has to fit snugly.Toddler seats are suitable for children over 15 months and under four years of age, with a weight limit of 18 kilograms. If your child exceeds the weight limit, then seats able to cope with weight up to 25 kilograms are available. Toddler seats are generally front-facing. Red marks indicate the route for the seat belt during forward-facing installation. The harness must fit snugly, adjusted to shoulder level. These seats recline for sleeping comfort and should be used only in the vehicle. Do not move your child up to a booster seat too early, Mars warns.Booster seats are for children over the age of four, and their main function is to lift the child so that the seatbelt is correctly positioned. The booster seat must also provide side-impact protection and minimise neck movement during a crash. Red or green markings indicate where the seat belt goes. The lap belt must go over the lap and hips, never across the stomach. Shoulder belts must always be used, but correctly positioned (never behind the back or under the arm).
- Choose the right seat. The age and weight guides are averages by the World Health Organisation. Use our Weight-to-Age charts to get a handle on which seats are right for your child in terms of age and weight. “Car seats are like shoes, just
more important—parents should try out car seats to ensure they have the right ‘fit’ for their child,” says Mars.
- Use it correctly. Good-quality car seats will have a manual and stickers showing how to install them correctly. However, seats get dirty and when they are reassembled after washing, they are often incorrectly assembled. For the same reason, be wary of seats bought second-hand off the Internet.
Mars says that Wheel Well is always ready to assist parents with advice and instructions, either in person at its Randpark offices or via WhatsApp video calls.“Installing the car seat correctly is vital, as is reassembling it after cleaning—let us help you get it right,” Mars ends. “Our aim is keeping children safe, and making sure that the seats available are compliant. We would be so grateful if parents would consider donating outgrown car seats to us for refurbishing; this enables us to keep another child safe.”Supa Quick is a long-time partner of Wheel Well and its carseats4kids campaign, and anyone wishing to donate a car seat can drop it off at one of its 190 branches.“Car seats are vital to child safety in vehicles, and Supa Quick is proud to be supporting this excellent initiative,” says Yolandi Grundeling Supa Quick Brand manager. “As we have over 190 fitment centres in the country, you can drop-off used car seats at one of our branches.We are currently running low on car seats, and we urge parents to come and donate. For more information, please visit wheelwell.co.za or visit the showroom at 488 Pelikaan Street, Bromhof, Johannesburg (073 393 7356.
