WORLD> Middle East
Child safety seats in cars to be mandatory in Dubai
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-17 15:20

ABU DHABI -- The transport authority of Dubai, the second largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will soon make child safety seats in cars mandatory to protect children from being hurt by accidents, local newspaper Khaleej Times reported on Friday.

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will impose a new law under which parents having children are compulsorily required to have safety seats in their cars, Thuriya Abdulla Al Mulla, senior supervisor of RTA's traffic department, was quoted as saying.

Under the new law, parents who do not place their children in safety seats will face fines and other penalties.

"Presently, we are discussing a new law under which the parents having children need to have the child safety seats in their cars, " said the official.

He added that "details of the law, including the fines and other penalties would be announced later. A lot of children have been victims of road accidents. We aim to provide them with adequate safety."

Official figures show that some 6,146 children have been victims of different accidents between 2001 and 2007, and road accidents are the top cause of child deaths in the country.