TAPAH: The Road Transport Department will not take action against parents who still use child car seats that do not meet the current guidelines for child restraint system (CRS) in the country.
Instead, action will be taken against manufacturers under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 and the Trade Description Act 2011 for failing to comply with the stipulated standards, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said.
“First of all, we need to remember that the use of CRS is enforced in January this year. As such, products available in the market (before Jan 2020) still can be used as we are adopting a practical approach.
“Should we say, those old (child) car seats without certificates can no longer be used, this will bring a huge burden to the parents. It is not wrong for parents to use the old car seats,” he said.
Loke told reporters after launching national-level Road Safety Campaign and Integrated Ops in conjunction with the Chinese New Year at Tapah Rest and Recreation (R&R) Area here, today.
Loke added that the ministry was working together with the Domestic Trade Consumer Affairs Ministry to ensure the manufacturers produce child safety seats that meet the necessary safety standards.
“Those parents who have yet to buy child car seats are urged to check on what are the standards, such as having a sticker and QR Code before buying the right ones,” he said stressing that the enforcement would be focusing on manufacturers.
The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) had released a "Guideline for Child Safety Seats in Malaysia".
Among others, MIROS will issue a QR code label for child seats sold in the country that have undergone the component type-approval (CTA) process with the Road Transport Department.
Besides that, the child safety seat products must comply with rules and certification under United Nations Regulation (UNR) rules ECE R44/04 and ECE R129, the safety standards car child seats are rated against.
On a separate note, Loke added that e-hailing drivers are welcomed to install CRS but they don't need to do so.
“E-hailing drivers with a public service vehicle (PSV) license is not considered as a private vehicle. To date, this rule only applies to a private vehicle.
“However, e-hailing drivers who wish to provide the facility are encouraged to do so as it could be an added value to their services,” he said adding that practically, it requires a new development mechanism before the ministry could make it mandatory for e-hailing services.