Car seats for children to be mandatory in Oman from March

Muscat: Car seats will be mandatory in Oman for children under four from March, according to amendments in Oman’s traffic laws.

Motorists who fail to secure children in appropriate car seats will be charged with endangering a person’s life. The offenders will be fined 50 riyals.

Many Omanis welcomed the move, saying that it will help save lives of many children.

“It’s time for the parents who don’t have car seats for their children to buy it now. It’s mandatory. Thank you ROP for issuing the law as it will save many lives,” tweeted Mohammad Al Hinai.

Ahmad Al Hashmi tweeted that he had already bought a car seat for his one-year-old baby girl. “You don’t need to wait for authorities to issue such decision. You should do everything to ensure the safety of your children,” he said.

It is common to see that children are placed on the laps of car passengers, said another Twitter user.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the importance of using seat belts and car seats for children to prevent injuries and deaths in road accidents.

Seat belts reduce fatalities in car crashes by 50 per cent.