A recent survey shows that almost half of Emirati parents leave their children unbuckled. 47% of respondents who said that they did not need to buy car restraints gave reasons including that they were too expensive, their children do not like being buckled up, or that holding a child is safer. Others say they do not strap in their children in for religious or cultural reasons.
"The main message is a very simple one – if you love your kids, buckle them up on all trips," said Thomas Edelmann, founder of RoadSafetyUAE.
Overall, the YouGov survey of more than 1,000 parents found that 34% see no need to buy child car seats. Another 28% say their children do not like to be strapped in, a quarter say they do not know which child seat to buy, and 15% believe passengers holding children is as safe as restraints. About 15% say they are safe drivers and not likely to be in an accident, 7% gave religious reasons, and 5% say it is not part of their culture.