Child car seats to be made compulsory in 2019: report

DATUK AZIZ KAPRAWI

The government will make the use of child safety seats, or child restraint systems, compulsory by 2019, the New Straits Times understands. While an earlier report stated that the move was to be made mandatory in 2017, deputy transport minister, Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi, had said that “it may take time to promote this among the road users as it involved more cost for them.”

Speaking at the launch of the Child Restraint System campaign, he added the following four-year timeline “includes the process of advocacy for the public to receive their feedback within two years, in addition to another two years for trial.”

Statistics from 2013 have shown that of the 53 children involved in traffic accidents, 13 have died. Beginning this year, all car brands in Malaysia were required to provide Isofix capabilities in new vehicles. Kaprawi added that Malaysia, as a member of the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP29), needed to adopt rules laid down by the United Nations.

“There are plenty of good child car seats in the market with United Nations standard ECE R44 specifications. You can look at the orange label sticker,” he added. Kaprawi was also quick to urge parents to purchase certified, costlier child restraint systems. “I hope local companies will be able to produce child seats that can be sold at lower prices, because most child seats in the market are imported,” said Kaprawi.

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Gregory Sze

An “actor” by training, Gregory Sze realised that he has had enough of drama in his life. Following his number one passion (acting was actually number two), he decided to make the jump into the realm of automotive journalism. He appreciates the simple things in life – a simple car with nothing but back-to-basics mechanical engineering and minimal electronics on board.

 

Comments

  • Sam Loo (ori1) on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:20 am

    Why 2019?

    Most western countries have child seat as mandatory since the 90’s? We are 30 years behind!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 0
    • Because by that time already change gover……

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 1
      • Corruption is the MAIN problem on Jun 12, 2015 at 3:21 pm

        Don’t blame the laws in Malaysia, blame the polis. There are so many good laws but ZERO enforcement. Even if there is enforcement, it is actually a ploy to earn more pocket money for the polis.

        Blame the polis and JPJ. 9 out of 10 times they catch offenders, the offender always give ang pau to settle the matter.

        9 out of 10 times, the polis officer accepts the ang pau. Infact, it has got to a point where now the JPJ and Polis officers are so brave, they actually ask the offender for money. And they are so brave, they even state the amount.

        Until the JPJ and Polis officers start enforcing the law and stop taking money, offenders will go scott free.

        Now also, offenders who break the law, are not scared to do so. It has become our culture already amongst offenders to be brave and simply break the law.

        According to offenders of traffic laws, they know, if they are caught, they can always settle on the spot giving ang pau.

        And they also know, even if the polis officer is straight and declines the ang pau, take the saman to the balai, so many officers will approach you and tell you they can sort it out.

        Offenders know that these big officers can make the ticket go away, so, they accept the officers offer to “sort” it out. Usually no receipt is given but the saman does go away!

        Just walk in the balai and somehow, a few officers will approach you to “selesai” your saman for a fraction of the saman cost.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
    • Energy Analyst on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:39 am

      because local (ahem Crony) parts maker not ready and need time

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
    • George Abdul on Jun 12, 2015 at 11:02 am

      As always mention 3rd world mentality Ministers in Malaysia aka Bolehland cronies industry !!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • Mc Kangkung on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:26 am

    no use of handphone while driving?
    No use of handphone while pumping petrol?

    No dark tint at car windows?
    No “fancy” car registration plate?
    No illegal add-on HID for headlamp?
    Rear seat belt usage?

    Despite all these, there are still aplenty of ppl (knowingly) flaunting the rule/regulations in Malaysia everyday, everywhere…

    So, anyone think child car seat compulsory gonna be anywhere effective??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 2
  • No point making new laws if the rakyat choose not to follow! Stupid Gov!

    Should have remove more laws instead! Like speeding, running red lights, changing lanes w/o signal, weaving in and out of traffic, driving like possessed maniacs, overloading, not wearing seatbelts, etc.

    All we want is more freedom to drive on the road as we please. Not for police to catch us poor people!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 18
    • Ultra2Disk on Jun 12, 2015 at 11:06 am

      ” No point making new laws if the rakyat choose not to follow! Stupid Gov! ”
      Really ?
      Why not blame your self first for now following ‘instructions and rules’ ?
      Law suppose to make people more discipline if they follow it.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
      • U BN lapdog jangan persoal! We PR macais will lawan kau-kau any laws we dun like. We onli need to follow the laws set by our dear leader and his family elected kronis. So u jangan persoal!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 9
  • Another initiative from the government of Bolehland to suck our money and give child seat cronies free business..

    JK. I hate the G too, but comments like this can be found daily on Paultan by a particular group of people..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 3
  • To be made compulsory in 4 years? It should be like yesterday!

    “it may take time to promote this among the road users as it involved more cost for them.”

    If they can afford a car they can afford the bloody seat!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 1
  • “includes the process of advocacy for the public to receive their feedback within two years, in addition to another two years for trial.”

    4 years? What feedback do you need? What trial do you need? We need Krusus Memasang Child Seat? I don’t see you doing that on GST.

    Is it that difficult to establish AP for child-seat?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • Gargantia on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:46 am

    “I hope local companies will be able to produce child seats that can be sold at lower prices, because most child seats in the market are imported,” said Kaprawi.

    Rakyat hope local companies will be able to produce “more safety fixtures and airbags cars that can be sold at lower prices” !!!

    Good to encourage safety by same old tricks by the Minister, Rakyat die Rakyat problems…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 1
    • carseatboy on Jun 12, 2015 at 12:58 pm

      Producing car seats are very capital intensive that even top companies like Tomy exited the segment. It’ll be expensive and bleeds capital outflow from hiring foreign labors. And even that doesn’t guarantee a good car seat. If we are going to be a high income country, manufacturing is no longer our game.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • ConcernedCitizen on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:51 am

    More cost? if you afford a child AND a car then you can afford a child car seat! It should be made effective IMMEDIATELY

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • david on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:52 am

    looking at the size of the child, he should be facing backwards

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • apanama on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:57 am

    Child seat takes up space inside the car…and we have plenty of super mini cars on our roads. Where to put the rest of the family members then? Make it affordable for people to buy bigger cars, then you can do your talking.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 6
    • Then, please learn how to control the other head.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
    • vlite on Jun 12, 2015 at 2:24 pm

      Probably they should take up birth control lessons as well. A child’s safety should be of out-most importance here, not fitting in as many people in the car as possible.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
    • idealtech on Jun 12, 2015 at 2:44 pm

      For goodness sake, you are a joker in fatherly disguise.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Areyousure on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:10 am

    Why takes so long to enforce?
    Because life is cheap in Malaysia?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • I don’t get it.. why not now? Why 4 years later? Need to wait more babies to die in 2015-2019?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • 2019? wow. awalnya. zaman tu silap2 dah ada ciptaan baru ganti car seat

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • BeemerFreak on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:16 am

    Why 2019, pathetic road laws. It should be NOW!!!!! Plus mandatory minimum of 6 air bags and ESP for all cars sold in Malaysia.

    There should not be any campaigns or whatnot to promote child safety, this should be a natural instinct of all humans wanting to have or having a child, even a monkey knows how to protect their infant from preys. If these people value money more than their child they should not have a child. Period.

    Make this mandatory effective next week. One week is more than enough to equip your car with a safe child seat.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • tokmoh. on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:17 am

    Nice, but the sceptic in me says it’ll be another rear seatbelt case, very few will follow it after initial huha dies down.

    And, that baby should be rear facing, looks too young to be forward facing.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Bomoh on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:33 am

    Aiyo i got half dozen of kids how ar?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • komarad on Jun 12, 2015 at 2:48 pm

      are you saying all your half dozen kids below 7 years old??

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • cendol (Member) on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:43 am

    don’t worry ladies,
    come 2018, extension will be given for another 3 years pending deeper research and review.
    For another research, another grant of 200million is needed

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • BLT_Club on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:56 am

    Sport Rim-Check. Body Kit- Check. Sticker-Check.
    Car Seat- sorry takde duit. Anak aku mampos takpe, kan dah takdir…
    That’s the mentality of some Malaysians. Sad…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 1
    • Salah tu on Jun 12, 2015 at 1:18 pm

      No, don’t get wrong. Car seat – checked (w/ 5point bucket seat), but child car seat no money.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • lazyf on Jun 12, 2015 at 11:21 am

    Why must 2019?
    Why not now?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • oldies on Jun 12, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    still there are some driver not wearing seat belt while driving. 1 of my friend hates seat belt will never wear it unless sense police in front…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Mc Kangkung on Jun 12, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    child car seat???

    come on…….there are more dangerous thing going on….

    Look at those kapchai riders that ply our Malaysian road daily… Some are bringing the whole family on a kaphcai…(mother, father, son in the front basket, daughter wedge between father & mother) The mother probably carry a baby in her arm….

    Do you see those kids wearing any helmet?? Shouldn’t they are the higher risk group??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • VHL Loo on Jun 13, 2015 at 10:51 pm

      Somehow i feel pity to them but it doesn’t mean the rider can jeopardize their family’s safety by overloading their kapchai (bringing more than 2 riders on motorbike).

      Could be they can only afford a decent brand new RM24k car, but somehow that damn greedy perutdua (they also need to be blamed as well) indirectly ‘force’ potential buyers to top up at least RM5.2k (that’s roughly 2 – 2.5 months salary for fresh grads) just for their crap accessories (even steel rims looks better in my opinion than their ugly alloy rims) by deliberately stretching the waiting period for Axia basic compared with rest of more expensive version (they will have bigger smile if their buyers go for that ‘sohai’ Advanced version with no upgrade in safety counts). Due to their unethical way of doing business although most can afford extra few thousands RM for higher spec, those poor families inevitably ‘forced’ to stick to motorbike which generally much more riskier compared with cars.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • I see kids riding motorbike to school
    without helmet and family with an infant
    everyday.
    How about heavily tinted and HID lights?
    As well as the 1.5 mil warrant of arrest for traffic offenders?
    Why wait for 2019 when u can’t get your
    house in order??
    Laws we have plenty but enforcement zero.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • TheDean on Jun 12, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    How can a child be put through the hassle of buckling up when the parents sitting behind don’t even make use of the simple seatbelt?

    And four years to make child seats cheaper and more accessible? Who’ll be manufacturing them? 1MDB?

    The Government should start introducing cheaper child seats and start educating the rakyat about the importance of buckling up NOW, and make it compulsory in 2 years. THAT’S a Government that cares.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Rokuth on Jun 12, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    Why is enforcement even a concern? Shouldn’t parents take the initiative for the safety of their children and use the child seats anyway? What does it say about parents that don’t?

    As far as enforcement, it should be with the “family” motorcycle and scooter. Too many times I have seen entire families, father mother, son, daughter and baby all on one motorcycle or scooter that was designed to safely carry two people. However, I understand… When the scooter or motorcyle is the only thing you can afford, and you need to take your entire family somewhere… what choice do you have? Maybe its time for P1 t ostart thinking along the lines of the Tata Nano for Malaysians…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Nadzri Aziz on Jun 13, 2015 at 9:43 pm

    What to you mean additional cost for malaysian drivers? tukar sports rim, low profile tyres boleh beli. exhaust, spoilers body kit no problem ada duit. but when it comes the safety of your child tiba2 complain mahal….typical msians mentality. do not know which one is priority.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

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