16/11/2018

For safe child transport in Rocha

Within the context of the “National Child Occupant Safety Program”, conducted by the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez with the support of the National Insurance Bank, an agreement was signed with the Municipality on November 15 to promote child road safety through specific actions on road crash prevention.

After the signing of the agreement, the Training Coordinator at the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, Mathías Silva, gave a presentation on Child Restraint Systems to traffic inspectors in the province at the MEM "Maria Elida Marquizo” Cultural Center in the morning and to interested stakeholders in the afternoon.

A Check Up event was set up at the Rocha Independence Square on November 16 to provide advice to adults in charge of transporting children about the correct installation of Child Restraint Systems (CRS), also known as child seats and/or boosters.

Child restraint systems provide the appropriate protection for children when traveling in a car. Use of CRSs reduces injuries in 75% in the event of a crash, and prevents the child from being expelled from the vehicle, and from impacting other occupants and elements in the vehicle.

Newborns until they reach 1.5m should travel in a CRS suitable for their weight and height protecting them during the different stages of growth as defined in Act 19,061 passed in April 2013.

In spite of the Act, and according to a 2016 Observational Study by UNASEV only 18% of children under 12 travel in Child Restraint Systems in Rocha.

For the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, the mandatory use of Child Restraint Systems is a priority to reduce the number of children who die or result fatally injured in Uruguay. In this way, the Fundación contributes to the health objective regarding the reduction of road accidents in the country by 30% by 2020.

Through the "National Passenger Child Safety Program", the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, with the support of the State Insurance Bank, and in coordination with provincial governments, seeks to increase the use of child restraint systems and promote a cultural change in the safe transportation of children throughout the national territory.