Enforcement Of Child Car Seat Rules Ready To Go, Merely Awaiting Green Light After MCO Delay

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The mandatory use of child car seat rules are still in effect and the Road Transport Department (RTD) is just waiting for the green light from the Transport Ministry to start enforcement.

What you need to know: Last year, it was announced that car safety seats or child restraint systems (CRS) used in private vehicles will be mandatory starting 1 Jan 2020. Although the usage of child restraint systems is actually in the RTD Act 1987, it wasn’t made mandatory until this year.

However, the Road Transport Department has merely been implementing advocacy programmes and issuing warning notices until today because they are awaiting the green light from the Transport Ministry. Proper enforcement was supposed to kick in during June this year, however, it was postponed by the government due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Who said what: Director-general of the Road Transport Department (RTD) Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid said that to date, the department has issued a total of 1,897 warning notices.

Why it matters: Originally, many Malaysian parents panicked as they complained of the additional expenses to keep their children safe and follow the law. However, Malaysians have now almost had a full year to prepare for the mandatory ruling, including the additional delay from the MCO. Additionally, Shaharuddin also noted that it’s extremely important for Malaysians to take this car seat issue seriously, as a total of 1,707 road crashes involving children had occurred between 2016 and 2018.

Read more:
RTD waiting for ‘green light’ to enforce child car seat rules [The Sun]
5 Laws That Kick In On 1st January 2020 [TRP]
Baby’s Age And Weight The Most Important Factors When Choosing A Car Safety Seat [TRP]

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