In June 2015, Alfred Ng Hon Lum was driving his family home when his car crashed into the rear of a motor bus. His pregnant wife was sitting in the front passenger seat and cradling their 1½-year-old daughter. The severely injured toddler was rushed to KK Hospital where sadly, she died three days later, of head injury. If he had a foldable car seat in Singapore back then, this might not have happened.
Did you know that 3 times as many babies die in car accidents in Singapore as compared to the US? In fact, almost 2,500 children were admitted to emergency rooms as a result of road accidents in Singapore over the last 5 years.
Need for car safety for kids: Introducing foldable car seat in Singapore
Image source: iStock
According to a report by KK Hospital, more than 50% of children in motor vehicle accidents taken to its emergency rooms between 2012 and 2015 were not restrained at all. And according to the 2016 issue of the International Journal Of Environment Research And Public Health, only 6.1% of children (12 and below) in Singapore are placed in proper child restraint seats .
Singapore’s Road Traffic Act states that children under 1.35 metres in height are legally required to be in an appropriate child restraint when travelling in a vehicle. However, this law does not currently extend to taxis.
Not many people own cars in Singapore, meaning taking taxis with children is a necessity and a frequent occurrence for many families.
Ellise Mawson, Singapore’s only Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, and founder of Taxi Baby Co. (an online marketplace providing travel safety solutions to parents and families) says that, “Far too many parents (assume) their child is safe being held on their laps or strapped to them using the adult seatbelt.”
“Many parents see bringing a car seat with them in and out of taxis as an inconvenience – but the argument that a car seat is inconvenient only works until something bad happens,” she continues.
“And no parent wants to be in a situation where they have made the wrong decision. Safety should be the top concern for every modern parent in Singapore”, she stresses.
Foldable Car Seat in Singapore: Meet the Nachfolger HY5
Taxi Baby Co.has just launched the innovative Nachfolger HY5 rear-facing inflatable car seat ($559) that can be used all the way from 0-5 years.
This is the must-have item for this season – a foldable car seat in Singapore. | Source: Taxi Baby Co.
The German-designed product created by parents for parents uses SAS technology to protect a child like an airbag while they are seated in the car seat. At 4.9 kg and foldable into a compact bag, parents can carry the HY5 around wherever they go and inflate it in two minutes, or deflate instantly, enabling them to move around with ease.
“The Nachfolger HY5 is an ultra-light, ultra-flexible and, importantly, ultra-safe rear-facing car seat, perfect for Singapore where taxi-riding is a common means to get around,” says Elise Mawson.
mifold Sport, a new luxurious portable booster seat, foldable car seat in Singapore
While a car seat use reduces the risk of infant death by 71%, booster seats reduces the risk of serious injury for children aged 4-8 by 45%.
Taxi Baby Co. have also introduced to the e-store the newly-launched grab-and-go mifold Sport ($99.00), ‘the most luxurious, compact and portable booster seat ever invented.’
This foldable car seat in Singapore makes it more convenient for parents to travel with kids. | Source: Taxi Baby Co.
The mifold Sport incorporates high-end performance materials and artisan craftsmanship with excellence in design and engineering. The new booster seat is not only safe, but it looks the part too with a premium leather style cushioned seat, a stylish red racing stripe design, and superior comfort.
As Elise reminds us, “It is the law in Singapore that all children under 1.35m need to be restrained with a car seat, booster seat or adjustable seatbelt when travelling in a car.”
“Remember it is never safe for children to ride in a private car, taxi or Grab in their mothers’ arms, on someone’s lap, or in a baby carrier or sling.”
For further information or to purchase the new travel safety products, head to sg.taxibaby.com.
Also READ: Mum who took crying newborn out of carseat has important message for parents