26/09/2018

Opening a permanent Check Up Point at Traffic Police Department

In order to continue promoting the use of child restraint systems in private vehicles, the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez and the Ministry of the Interior, through the National Traffic Police Department (DNPT), and with the support of the National Insurance Bank opened a new, free-of-charge check up point at the DNPT´s headquarters available once a month.

The check up point will be managed by the DNPT staff previously trained on Child Passenger Safety by the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez.

The implementation of this Check Up Point is part of an agreement between the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez and the Ministry of the Interior in 2017 that consolidates cooperation focused on child passenger safety.

Both organizations have been working in training sessions through the NDPT for more than 6 years. The Ministry has strongly committed to enforcing the use of Child Restraint Systems in national highways, while the Fundación has collaborated in the setting up of check up points.

For the president of the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, María Fernanda Rodríguez, “this is one of the components of the Child Passenger Safety Program. I´m very proud of all this, since it shows how committed the National Traffic Police Department is to the lives of children traveling in our country´s roads and highways.”

The Check Up Point at the DNPT will be free of charge and aimed at adults in charge of transporting children in private vehicles willing to learn how to correctly install child seats. Booking will be required, it will take place once a month at the parking lot of the National Traffic Police Department on Cno. Maldonado 5117; those interested may book their place through Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez website www.gonzalorodriguez.org.

Through these types of agreements, the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez promotes awareness and evidences the need for the mandatory use of Child Restraint Systems, a law in force in Uruguay and complied with by 23% of parents transporting children by car, according to data from UNASEV. It is also part of the actions carried out by the Uruguayan NGO to contribute to the goal of reducing road accidents to 30% by 2020.