Today (7 September) at approximately 7:45 the driver of a Toyota Yaris and the driver of a BMW 3 Series, carrying a child to school, had a partial head-on collision in Houghton in a side street near the intersection of Oxford and 11th.
Terence Teixeira from the Matrix Road Safety Association arrived on the scene and reported that fortunately both vehicles were not travelling at high speeds and the resulting collision was relatively light, however the driver of the Yaris did sustain light injuries and was treated and transported to hospital by Emer-G-Med paramedics.
“Having heard a child was in the BMW Emer-G-Med paramedics inspected the child for any injuries. The responsible parents had fortunately placed the child in a car-seat and the young one was safely strapped in when the collision occurred. The child did not sustain any injuries at all,” says Teixeira.
Had the child not been strapped in and perhaps had been standing on the passenger seat or between the two front seats (as often seen on our roads), Teixeira believes the collision may have had a horrible outcome with the child being flung into the dash board or windscreen. “While responding to this very call I noticed a driver who had their child standing in-between the two front seats and indicated to the driver to buckle the child in. The driver responded with a dirty look. Parents need to be responsible and buckle their young ones in as the smallest collision may cause terrible injuries to a child. More parents need to follow the example of the responsible parents involved in this particular accident and buckle their children in. The benefits are clear,” he concludes.
For more information on the Matrix Road Safety Association visit www.matrix.co.za.
