South Africa’s roads are a deadly place and the importance of strapping infants and young children into correctly installed car seats simply can’t be emphasised enough.
Want to hear a scary statistic? Road accidents are the leading cause of child deaths in South Africa, according to the Child Gauge Report.
And yet the Automobile Association (AA) says that around 93% of the small humans that travel on our roads are not sufficiently strapped in to survive a car accident.
A child seat can improve an infant’s chances of survival by up to 71%, Arrive Alive says.
Thankfully organisations such as Wheel Well have taken it upon themselves to offer donated child seats to South Africans in need of one.
But even among those with the means to purchase new car seats, there is a need for product advice as well as “hands-on” practical seat installation training, says Babies R Us, a subsidiary of Toys R Us.
The retailer has teamed up with car seat manufacturer Joie SA to educate parents on the selection and installation of child car seats through a series of events that will take place at selected stores around South Africa during July.
At the events, hosts will explain the different car seat options to parents and conduct a practical installation session, where guests will be able to practise in front of an expert.
The stores will host three sessions on Saturday mornings, with a maximum of 10 guests per session. Tickets (which can be booked here) cost R100, but they include a R100 Babies R Us gift card as well as refreshments, and there are prizes to be won.
“Purchasing and installing a new car seat can be very overwhelming for a new parent, with so many options to choose from and getting it right is imperative to ensure their baby is safely strapped in,” says Ronel Grant, Head of Wellness at Babies R Us.
“While the event is mainly geared at dads, who we have experienced driving most of the purchasing decisions when it comes to car seats, both moms and dads are welcome to join us at one of the events in store.”
IOL Motoring