A pair of drivers’ unlawful road race ended horribly after it resulted in a collision with a passing vehicle, causing a two-year-old child to be flung onto the highway on Monday (10 Feb).
The incident occurred along the southbound North-South Expressway in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
A one-minute-long recording of the incident was uploaded onto Facebook on Tuesday (11 Feb) by the dashcam owner, who turned out to be the victim’s uncle.
The harrowing clip showed two vehicles — a blue Honda Jazz and a white Perodua Myvi — speeding along a highway, with the latter vehicle dangerously weaving between the other cars on the road.
In a shocking turn of events, the white car attempted to overtake a car, hitting it in the process before speeding away.
The blue sedan, which had been behind the two, quickly pulled away into the next lane, revealing a young child lying on the road.
Fortunately, the dashcam vehicle managed to stop in time, avoiding the child. Thanks to the fast reaction of a passing container vehicle, the child was quickly rescued and retrieved from the road.
Though the dashcam footage is dated 2018, the owner clarified that he did not set a date on the device, hence the incorrect timestamp. The police confirmed that the incident took place on Monday afternoon.
According to Astro Awani, investigations revealed that the victim’s father had been driving on the right-most lane when a white Myvi crashed into them.
The victim’s father lost control of the car and subsequently hit the highway divider before crashing and hitting the Myvi, the impact of which caused the boy to be flung out onto the road.
The boy suffered minor injuries on his legs, arms and legs and is currently being treated at the hospital.
Image source: Facebook | Paidaiah Ramu
The 20-year-old driver of the white Perodua Myvi was arrested on Tuesday (Feb 11), while the 23-year-old driver of the blue Honda Jazz surrendered himself to the police, reported The Star.
Investigations are still underway for reckless and dangerous driving.
Car safety for kids
Here are important car seat reminders, which should not be overlooked because they could be the difference between “life or death” in the event of an accident.
Image source: iStock
Newborn to two-years-old: rear-facing car seats
Since their spine is still developing, keep your child in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least two years old. This protects them from possibly fatal neck and spinal injuries in the event of a car crash.
Two-years-old and up: front-facing seats
You can switch to a front-facing car seat once your baby turns two or outgrows their first car seat.
School-aged kids: booster seats
Around the age of eight to 12 years old — or when your child weighs 80 or even up to 100 pounds — they can already be switched to booster seats.
Remember: Seat belts were designed for those who are at least 4’9″ in height. So until your child is big enough, a booster seat is a MUST.
Make sure your child sits in the back seat until the age of 12. (Yes, protests are expected, but try to explain to your bigger kid why this rule is important to follow!)
DO NOT make these five common mistakes:
- Wrong harness placement. For rear-facing seats, the harness should be fastened below the shoulders. In forward-facing car seats, place it above the shoulders.
- Wrong chest clip placement. Make sure it is at your child’s armpit level.
- Not locking the car seat securely in place. Remember that the car seat should not be loose. A good way to check is by testing if it can’t be moved more than two inches in any direction.
- When using a booster seat, avoid wrong seat belt placement. The seatbelt should not run across your child’s tummy, face, or neck.
- Avoid securing the harness loosely. While it should not be too tight, car seat harnesses should not be to “slack or loose” either!
Aside from following car seat guidelines, always practice defensive driving and observe traffic rules. When it comes to the safety of our families, it always pays to go the extra mile.
This post was first published on AsiaOne and was edited and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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Also READ: Baby’s death is a sobering reminder about car seat safety