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FOMCA and Child Passenger Safety Malaysia Seek Clarification on Childseat Guidelines & Approvals

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) and Child Passenger Safety Malaysia (CPSM) have raised several issues pertaining to the recently launched child restraint system (CRS) guidelines by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS).

The two organisations say the guidelines are confusing to the consumers with regard to a MIROS QR Code being present on approved childseats sold in Malaysia. Upon checking by FOMCA with the Road Transport Department (JPJ), it was found that a component type approval (CTA) by the JPJ is enough to show that a child safety seat is approved as per safety standard. This leads to the question of the necessity of the QR code.

ECE LABELS and MIROS QR LABEL — Childseats permitted for use under the new law which comes into effect in 2020 must meet UN ECE regulations and have the labels shown on the left side. On the right is the MIROS QR code that is mentioned in the MIROS guidelines.

Parents hesitant about making purchases
There are currently no known child safety seats sold in Malaysia that come with the QR code and this is making parents hesitate about making purchases. “It is a counter-intuitive measure to introduce the QR code now when Malaysia is still at its early stage of introducing this new law and promoting the use of child safety seats,” a statement issued by CPSM said.

Nur Asyikin Aminuddin, a Senior Manager from FOMCA (above), deemed the guideline as misleading as it does not portray the views from stakeholders including independent bodies as well as the consumers. “MIROS, as a research body, is not a certification body. I hope that Standard Users will intervene with this issue as they are the national accreditation body,” she explained.

She added that JPJ and Ministry of Transport (MOT) should be the responsible bodies to endorse and make any guidelines and official announcement related to child safety seats. They should also publish the list of approved brands and models on their website that succeeded in getting the JPJ’s CTA and thus meet the required safety standards.

The MIROS collaboration with Lazada Malaysia
Another issue raised by FOMCA at a press conference yesterday was the collaboration of MIROS in the LAZADA Car Seat Assurance Program. FOMCA says that the collaboration is violating the Competition Act 2010 as it breached the rights of consumers, which is the right to choose. The program is restricting the market when it should be an open market. Crash-worthy child safety seats should be made available not only through one online platform.

The press conference was held after the graduation ceremony of 19 new certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST) yesterday. This number brings the total CPSTs to 66 in Malaysia, with the majority of them from retailers and distributors. The certification program, which started in 2018, is an annual training program with Safekids Worldwide as the certification body and CPSM as the co-organiser.

Creating greater awareness of CRS
The aim for the program is to increase the number of skilled and knowledgeable persons who will become the resource centres in their communities to relay updated and correct information with regards to selection and usage of child restraint systems.

Malaysia is in dire need of more personnel certified by a proper certifying body to cater for the growing awareness among the public. With that being laid out, competency of the agency in conducting any certification such as the Child Occupancy Safety Advisor (COSA) program was also being asked as the proper channel should be directed at utilising readily available resources such as Safekids Malaysia which is also in partnership with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

CPSM, in agreement with FOMCA’s concerns, are both supportive of the new law. However, MOT was urged to provide clear direction and roles for its agencies in order to execute the law efficiently.

MIROS and Lazada Malaysia to work together on Child Restraint System Awareness

MIROS and Lazada Malaysia to work together on Child Restraint System Awareness

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and Lazada Malaysia today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to raise awareness on the importance of child restraint systems (CRS) in reducing road fatalities. As part of the initiatives under the MoU, Lazada Malaysia has launched its Car Seat Assurance programme – a curation of CRS products on LazMall – which currently offers over 40 product models from 6 local and international brands.

Prices range from RM100 to RM1,599 and Lazada gives assurance that each childseat bearing the Car Seat Assurance icon are sold by companies which have submitted to Lazada copies of UNR44 or UNR129 certificates (which are strict and comprehensive sets of child carseat safety regulations by the UN) as well as crash test reports. This product documentation has also been submitted to MIROS for further evaluation as part of an ongoing process to ensure that product safety is not compromised.

Compulsory use of child restraint systems, ie childseats, will come into effect from January 1, 2020. All childseats must meet the United Nations’ ECE R44/04 and ECE R129 specifications.

“We are delighted to have Lazada on board to carry out this initiative which will contribute to the government’s objectives to reduce serious road traffic injuries and fatalities. Through the Lazada Car Seat Assurance programme, we hope to educate more parents on the importance of CRS use and choosing the appropriate CRS for their children which meets the requirements detailed in the Guidelines for Child Restraint System in Malaysia,” said Dr. Siti Zaharah Ishak, Director-General of MIROS.

“We also need to change the perception that regulation-compliant childseats are unaffordable and make it easier for Malaysians to purchase childseats from wherever they may be and accessible throughout Malaysia,” Dr. Siti added.

MIROS GUIDELINES — *Visit **www.miros.gov.my** to download a free copy of the MIROS guidelines on childseats.*

During the first 6 months of 2020 when the law is in effect, summonses will not be issued to motorists who do not place their small children in childseats. Enforcement officers will give warnings and advice instead. The firm decision to introduce the law comes from the fact that less than 30% of motorists have been found to provide childseats, while a MIROS study found that 31 out of 53 (58 per cent) children and infants died due to road accidents.

(more…)

MIROS launches child restraint system guidelines

Yesterday marked the official launch of Vehicle Safety Week 2019 which is currently taking place at the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) PC3 crash testing centre in Melaka. To mark this momentous occasion, our very own deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was also there to unveil the official child restraint system guidelines called ‘Buku Garis Panduan Kerusi Keselamatan Kanak-kanak di Malaysia’. (more…)