Safety on the road

Car seats are the only safe way to travel with children in motor vehicles. It is never safe for children to ride in a car in their mothers’ arms, on someone’s lap, or in a baby carrier or sling.

Do remember to prepare an appropriate rear-facing car seat suitable for your newborn infant for his journey home from the hospital.

Using car seats from birth can drastically reduce the risk of death and injury in road traffic accidents. By Singapore’s laws, all passengers below 1.35m of height (approximately 12 years of age) must use an approved child restraint appropriate to their height and weight. Taxis are exempt from this legal requirement, but they are not exempt from the laws of physics and the risks remain the same.

Your child’s safety is the utmost priority.

• When securing your baby in his car seat, ensure that he is not swaddled. Do not use extra support pillows that did not come with the car seat.
• The car seat should never be placed in the front seat of the car due to the presence of the active air bag.
• Keep your baby in the rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old.

Here is a useful guide for car safety for different ages:

Be safe!

In the presence of an active air bag, never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat of a car. In fact, children 12 years old and younger should not sit in the front seat.

“Recommended age ranges for each seat type vary to account for differences in child growth and height/weight limits of car seats and booster seats. Use the car seat or booster seat owner’s manual to check installation and the seat height/weight limits, and proper seat use.”

Reference: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital