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Safer Road User

Ops Bersepadu Hari Raya 2013: The Use Of Child Restraint System Among Children Aged 0–7 When Travelling In Vehicles

In Malaysia, there is no specific rule of using child restraint system (CRS) in vehicle while travelling. Comparatively, in ASEAN countries,only three countries that have specific laws requiring the use of CRS, namely Brunei, Cambodia and Singapore. Each year, the authorities will launch intervention programmes to reduce road accidents during festive seasons called Ops either in the form of road blocks or traffic observation. During Ops Bersepadu Hari Raya 2013, a study on how Malaysian drivers travel with children in vehicle was done. The purpose of this study is to determine the use of CRS among children aged 7 years old and below when travelling in vehicle, before and during Ops for peak and off-peak period. It also aims to compare the prevalence of unrestrained children in rural and  urban areas. Other factors being observed are drivers’ gender and whether the drivers were belted or not. In general, none of these factors have any significant effect on the use of CRS during Ops. CRS use  decreased substantially towards the end  of Ops compared  to  in the beginning of Ops. Female drivers were more likely to restrain their children with CRS during Ops (OR  = 1.12) compared to male  (OR  = 0.53). Almost all  cars  recorded  with CRS use were driven by belted drivers and vice versa.