Toddler falls out of van on highway: could this have been avoided?

A video of a child falling from a van is making their rounds online. Although the clip’s authenticity hasn’t been verified, it is claimed that it occurred in Suzhou, eastern China.

The clip was taken from a dashboard camera and was uploaded to Twitter, where people were quick to express their displeasure.

It shows a stationary van on the expressway, and as soon as it moves forward, its back door opened.

As the child rolls out from the back of van and onto the expressway, the passengers of the car behind the van are heard screaming.

After falling out the back of the car, the child quickly gets back to his feet and starts running after the vehicle which is then seen speeding off, unaware of what happened.

The driver filming the incident, leaves his car and picks up the child.

Eventually the grandfather returns to get the boy.

According to local reports the child was initially at the backseat, and when he had climbed into the van’s rear cargo hold and had fallen, the grandfather was unaware of it until he was already driving off.

Unfortunately, many children in China are unrestrained by car seats or even seat belts.

READ: Mum who doesn’t know how to drive accidentally runs over three-year-old toddler

“Because many Chinese families own only one car and ferry around extended family—often with grandpa and grandma on board—space is at a premium,” a report on car safety said.

“In addition, many doting Chinese grandparents insist on holding small children on their laps. In the Safe Kids survey, 80% of respondents said they clutch their children in the car.”

Car safety and kids

If you’re a parent of a small child, it may be ideal to invest on a good car seat to help ease your mind when you’re travelling with your little ones. Here are some pointers to keep in mind.

Face the rear: Your babies should not face the front until the age of 2. If you’re in an accident, your child’s head would thrust in any direction and not be able to withstand the shock of a crash if they are forward facing.

Tighten seats: In order for a car seat to be properly installed, there should be no more than 1 inch of movement at the back of the seat, either side to side or forward to back. The front of the seat should move and be able to absorb energy in a crash.

Place chest clip in the right spot: The chest clip should go on the chest and be level with the armpits. It should not be any lower down.

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below.