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Car seats for children a must: MOTC

As from June, children under the age of four or weighing under 18kg travelling in cars will be required to be seated in a child-safety seat secured in the back seat or drivers could be fined NT$500, the Committee of Traffic Safety Supervision said yesterday.

However, due to an overwhelming amount of feedback on the new policy, the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC) made a few exceptions to the rule just weeks before the regulation is to be implemented nationwide.

According to a ministry press release, an exception will be made for families with at least three children under the age of four. Because most cars are unable to accommodate more than two safety seats in the back seat, the ministry said that it would be acceptable if the oldest of the three did not use a safety seat.

The ministry will also make exceptions for parents who choose to accompany the three children in the back seat, disregarding regulations limiting the number of passengers in the back seat to three.

"We made these exceptions because it is difficult to fit three car seats in the back seat, but also because many cars do not have enough seat belts to accommodate three car seats," said Lee Long-wen (李龍文), director-general of the Department of Railways and Highways.

In addition, families driving cars manufactured in Taiwan before 1991, when the government began requiring that manufacturers install seatbelts in all cars, will be exempt as well.

However, the exceptions to the car seat regulation have brought about criticism that unwarranted leniency does not bring about child safety.

The Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation asked why the safety of the third child in the back seat or the children of families owning cars manufactured before 1991 was not a matter of concern, if the ministry was really serious about child safety.
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