KKH to offer newborn car seats to parents in programme to reduce risks of child road traffic injuries
First such programme in Singapore to benefit 300 newborns
25 February 2025, Singapore – KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) is offering complimentary car seats to babies born at the hospital as part of a programme to reduce the risk of child road traffic injuries. This first such initiative in Singapore aims to empower parents to make their baby’s car rides safer, right from their first journey home.
“Every year, we treat approximately 400 children for injuries from road traffic accidents.1 Many of these – especially to the head, spinal cord and internal organs – are far more severe when the child isn’t using a proper car seat. These can have lifelong consequences, potentially impairing their mobility, or in the worst case, threaten their life. Many of the injuries could be prevented with the right precautions. The need for families to have greater awareness about the effectiveness of car seats in saving lives has never been more crucial,” said Dr Ronald Tan, Senior Consultant, Department of Emergency Medicine, KKH.
A study of 1,483 children and adolescents with road traffic injuries found that more than half were not in a child car seat at the time of incident.2 A second study on the use of child car seats and restraints revealed that among parents and caregivers, there was a lack of knowledge in installation and proper use and doubt regarding the seats’ importance or effectiveness. They also cited inconvenience and high cost as some of the reasons for not using child car restraints despite it being mandated by law.3
“At KKH, we believe that safety begins at birth. Hence, we are committed to promoting the importance of car seat use through our Newborn Car Seat Programme. This initiative is designed to provide families with the knowledge, resources, and support to ensure their child’s safety on the road. We want to lay a strong foundation for a safer environment that ensures a child’s safety and well-being from infancy through adulthood,” said Dr Tan.
Parents will be invited to register their interest to loan a complimentary car seat for their baby’s first year during their antenatal checkup. Alternatively, they can also sign up at for.sg/buckleupbaby.
KKH will arrange for the parents to collect the car seat by their third trimester checkup, to allow sufficient time to familiarise themselves with the seat prior to the baby’s delivery. Educational video resources4,5 and support on proper installation and use of the car seat for effective injury prevention will also be tailored to the parents’ needs. In addition, parents have access to a Child Passenger Safety Expert to learn more about the effectiveness of age-appropriate car seats in minimising the risk of severe injury in a road traffic accident.
Supported by the Traffic Police and in partnership with Komoco Motors and Mothercare, the programme will benefit about 300 newborns in the first year.
Tracy Teo, Marketing Director, Komoco Motors Pte Ltd, said, "As mobility providers, we naturally find ourselves tending to accident and repair cases, aside from just the business of selling cars. This project holds a special place for us as we believe that mobility on the road should be safe for all road users, and children who are defenceless in these situations must be well protected. Our goals are in line with KKH: to reduce traumatic injuries in children due to road accidents. Hence, we've sponsored the car seats so that every baby's ride is as safe as possible. We yearn for our sponsorship to also help new parents learn and understand the benefit of using a car seat and become advocates themselves."
Pang Fu Wei, Group Managing Director, Mothercare, said, “At Mothercare, we understand that every parent wants the very best for their little one, and safety is at the heart of that journey. Bringing a newborn home for the first time is a precious milestone, and we believe that every baby deserves to travel safely from the very start. That’s why we are honored to partner with KKH and Komoco Motors in this meaningful initiative, providing parents with high-quality, crash-tested car seats for greater peace of mind. Together, we hope to raise awareness about the importance of car seat safety and support families in keeping their little ones protected on the road.”
To encourage participants to continue to use age-appropriate car restraints as the child grows, the parents will be offered a subsidy towards the next child car seat purchase, upon returning the loaned seat when the child turns one.
Dr Tan, who also chairs the KKH Injury Prevention Working Group, added, “Car seats are specifically designed to accommodate to a child’s size and weight, offering the best protection as they grow. It’s important for parents to transition their child to the appropriate car seat as they reach each developmental milestone, ensuring continued safety throughout their childhood. Children are required to use child car restraints until they are 1.35 metres tall. Typically, this means using a rear-facing car seat for the first two years, a forward-facing seat from ages two to five, and a booster seats with seatbelt from age five and up.”
The KKH Newborn Car Seat Programme is one of the efforts of the KKH Injury Prevention Working Group, which collaborates closely with the National Trauma Committee and other stakeholders on measures to reduce the incidence of preventable injuries in the paediatric population.
1Children Road Accidents in Singapore Linked with Low Usage of Child Car Seats and Restraints - HealthXchange
2Chong, S.-L., Tyebally, A., Chew, S. Y., Lim, Y. C., Feng, X. Y., Chin, S. T., & Lee, L. K. (2017). Road traffic injuries among children and adolescents in Singapore – who is at greatest risk? Accident Analysis & Prevention, 100, 59–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.01.005
3Tan, R., Dong, C., Shen, G., Feng, J., Piragasam, R., Tyebally, A., & Chong, S. (2020). Parental knowledge and beliefs on the use of Child car restraints in Singapore: A qualitative study. Singapore Medical Journal, 61(2), 102–107. https://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2019023
43 Steps to Car Safety for Baby’s First Year Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHXIa-9_SS0
5Buckle Up Safely! Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRS3eKomffg
