Road Traffic Controller Jack Thompson revealed the depth of the problem at a recent press conference.
“I think [the number of] persons driving with babies in their laps is on the increase,” he said. “Personally from what I see and what I have observed, I think it is on the increase. I think more and more persons are driving with children in their lap or hands. That’s my view.”
Mr Thompson added that when warned, drivers that carry out the dangerous practice are often hostile.
“What is even more upsetting about this is when people are warned or cautioned about [driving with children in their laps,] they have a mouthful to say to you,” said Mr Thompson, who is also the President of The National Road Traffic Committee. Meanwhile Dr Sarah Friday, Emergency Medicine Consultant, outlined the dangers of having a child ride in the lap of an adult.
“Children act as a projectile in a car and so a child that is not secure in a car becomes a projectile within that car,” said Dr Friday. “They can cause damage to both themselves and the other people within that car, as the child is thrown throughout the car.
“And we see a lot of that happening, because most children are not secure in the back seat like they are supposed to be,” she continued. Dr Friday, who also works in The Accident and Emergency Department of The Princess Margaret Hospital, maintained that in order for parents to ensure their child’s safety while driving, they must ensure that they are buckled in the vehicle.
“The little ones want to sit in your lap, but if the child goes through the windscreen and has a disfigured face, it will not be a very pretty sight,” she said. “So it is very important to be strict with children and tell them that they need to sit in the back in their car seat or if they are old enough, in the booster seat.”
By: LaShonne Outten, The Nassau Guardian
