Mind the Gap Communications

[Published on The Philippine Star on 8 April 2022] It’s summer once again, but this is no ordinary summer. It is the first summer after two long years of being locked down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Surely, all Filipino families are already planning a Holy Week or a summer road trip. For families with babies or very young children, the road trip will most likely be the first time that they will have their cutie passenger on board. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) advises these families to invest in a child car seat to ensure the baby’s safety. “You cannot put a price on the life of our children,” said Roberto Valera, Deputy Director for Law Enforcement of the Land Transportation Office. “We must always think of the welfare of everybody. Bigyan natin ito ng kahalagahan. Bumili tayo ng child car seat na akma sa weight, sa size, at edad ng mga bata. ” (Let us give importance to this. Let us buy a child car seat that is appropriate to your child’s weight, size, and age.) ~ Read

[Published as an opinion piece on Business Mirror on 5 April 2022] Maia was riding in a van with her family one day when the driver suddenly stepped on the brakes. Miguel, her first-born, who was about 3 years old at the time, lurched forward from where he sat. “ Hindi naman sya nasaktan (he was unharmed), but he was literally thrown off of his seat,” Maia recalled. “ Natakot na ako (I got scared). I decided right then to get my child a car seat.” Maia is one of many parents who were early adopters of child car seats in the Philippines, years before there was a law that required it. ~ Read the full article by Leah Barona-Cruz on Business Mirror

[Published on Rappler on 2 June 2021] With COVID-19 vaccinations now underway, mobility restrictions could be lifted sometime soon. When that happens, are families ready to go back on the road safely? ~ Read the full article by Leah Barona-Cruz on Rappler.com

[Published as a commentary   on Inquirer.net  on 7 February 2021] That your heart is in the right place matters more than whether you have a big heart. When you are hungry, it matters more that you have food to eat than whether you are having a healthy salad or greasy fries. When you have three children dying every day from a preventable cause such as a road crash, it matters more that you try to bring those numbers down than that you have a road safety plan that pleases everyone but comes 1,095 lives too late, for instance.  ~ Read the full article  by Leah Barona-Cruz on Inquirer.net

MANILA (1 February 2021) - The use of car seats for children 12 years old and below is now required by law in the Philippines and will be enforced starting February 2.   Republic Act 11229, or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, requires that children up to 12 years of age or up to 4’ 11” in height should each be buckled up in a car seat, also called a child restraint system (CRS) while inside a covered private motor vehicle. The car seat used must be suited to the child’s age, height, or weight.  The law further requires that children do not sit in the front seats of vehicles and are never left unaccompanied by an adult, even if strapped in a child car seat.  Private motor vehicles include covered vehicles such as cars, SUVs, AUVs, and vans including those for hire. The law does not cover tricycles, jeepneys, and other public utility vehicles.  Details of the enforcement were discussed in a press conference held online last Friday, January 29. Mr. Bob Valera, deputy director for

Why did child car seat use have to become law? Road crashes kill about 1.35 M people around the world each year and is the leading cause of death among 5–29-year-olds, states a World Health Organization report. More than 90% of fatalities are from low- and middle-income countries. Road crashes were also found to be one of the 5 top causes of preventable injuries in children, says a joint WHO-UNICEF report.  With the signing into law in February 2019 of Republic Act 11229, or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, the PH now has laws on all 5 key behavioral risk factors for global road safety: speed, drunk driving, helmet use on motorcycles, seat belt use, and now the use of child restraints. RA 11229 will be enforced starting 2 February 2021.  What does RA 11229 require/prohibit? RA 11229 requires that children up to 12 years of age or up to 4’ 11” in height, while inside a covered private motor vehicle…  should each be buckled up in a car seat, also a called child restraint system (C

MANILA (18 January 2021) - Republic Act 11229, or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, will be enforced nationwide starting February 2.  The law requires that child passengers in private covered motor vehicles—such as cars, vans, SUVs, and AUVs—are buckled up in car seats, also known as child restraint systems or CRS. By child passengers we mean any person below 12 years old or below 4 feet and 11 inches in height.  There are three types of car seats appropriate for the different growth stages of a child. Parents should make sure, thus, that a child is seated in a car seat right for his or her age, height, and weight. Learn more about the types of car seats RA 11229 also prohibits drivers from leaving children unattended in any motor vehicle, or letting children sit in the front seat. In the past, only children six years old and below were prohibited from sitting in the front seat. The new law extends this prohibition to children up to 12 years old. For more information, follow Buck