PETALING JAYA: Safety experts are calling for urgent measures to prevent incidents involving inattention to children in vehicles, as some cases have tragically resulted in injuries and death.
Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the safety of children must be treated as a national priority.
In a recent case on April 8, a three-year-old boy sustained facial injuries after falling out of a car window at Km5 of Jalan Lipis-Merapoh.
The child’s father had pulled over to answer a phone call and later drove off, only realising two kilometres after that his son was missing.
On March 30, a one-year-old girl died after she was accidentally run over by her father while he was reversing his car at their home in Taman Desa Harmoni, Johor Bahru.
“These tragedies are preventable. Children should never be left alone in or near vehicles, not even for a moment,” said Lee.
He urged parents and caregivers to remain vigilant at all times and proposed stricter regulations to ensure child safety involving vehicles.
Among his recommendations were mandatory vehicle checks for transport service operators, legal consequences for negligence and licensing requirements – including safety training – for school and daycare transport providers.
Lee also called for clear public and institutional guidelines to reinforce safety practices, especially in parking areas.
“These measures would promote accountability and signal how seriously we treat child endangerment,” he said.
He also urged automotive manufacturers and authorities to implement child alert systems, technology that detects the presence of a child in a stationary vehicle and alerts the driver or emergency contacts if no action is taken.
“Such systems should become standard in all family and school vehicles, much like seatbelt reminders,” said Lee, adding that tax incentives or rebates could encourage families and transport operators to install certified safety systems.
Lee also stressed the importance of child restraint systems (CRS), that could prevent children from falling out of moving vehicles or being thrown out during a collision.
“Carrying children on laps or allowing them to travel unrestrained is dangerous and must stop,” he said.
Although the use of CRS has been mandatory under the Road Transport Act (Amendment) 2020 for children under 135cm in height, Lee noted that enforcement remains weak.
“Some families cite high costs, but there are now affordable and certified options,” he said, adding that the government provides up to 50% rebates for B40 families purchasing child car seats.
However, he acknowledged the challenge faced by larger families, as most cars cannot accommodate more than two CRS units, potentially leaving some children unprotected.
Meanwhile, road safety and transport advocate Shahrim Tamrin also called for a nationwide digital safety campaign involving the National Population and Family Development Board, car manufacturers and the Communications Ministry.
“We need consistent messaging via social media, radio and television. The Road Safety Unit under the Road Transport Department must be proactive, not just reactive after tragedies occur,” said Shahrim, a former
board member of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research.
He also highlighted the development of MyCinta, a system designed four years ago to detect children left in vehicles using motion and sound sensors.
“The system can alert the driver via phone call or SMS, provide the vehicle location through Google Maps, slightly lower the windows for ventilation and activate hazard lights,” he said.
Shahrim urged the government and Transport Ministry to fund and implement such technology, particularly in local car brands such as Proton and Perodua.
He also pointed to simpler tools such as Waze’s child reminder feature, which prompts drivers to check the back seat.
He said parents could place essential items such as phones, bags or ID cards next to the child to serve as a visual cue.
“The public also has a role to play. If you see a child alone in a car, especially in private parking areas, immediately inform the police, Fire and Rescue Department or building security. Never ignore it,” he stressed.
Shahrim further called for emergency child detection systems to be made mandatory in all new vehicles under the Vehicle Type Approval process, and called for the inclusion of such systems in the safety ratings for all new family vehicles marketed across Southeast Asia.
