Bring Back Subsidy For Child Safety Seats Govt Urged

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DAP's Syahredzan Johan says the usage of such seats, although compulsory, is low because of their cost.
Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan said the previous government had introduced a subsidy programme called MyCRS to encourage the usage of child restraint seats. (Freepik pic)KUALA LUMPUR: An MP has called on the government to reintroduce a subsidy for child safety seats next year, citing the low usage of the contraption in the country because of its high cost
Syahredzan Johan (PH-Bangi) said many parents did not fix these seats, despite their being made compulsory in 2020, noting that the cheapest child restraint system (CRS) seats retailed at RM200.
“The previous government had introduced a subsidy programme called MyCRS to encourage the usage of such seats among B40 households.
“The programme offered a rebate of up to 50% or up to RM150,” he said when debating the Supply (Budget) Bill 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Syahredzan said the government should introduce a more sustainable and targeted initiative to encourage car owners to instal the seats.
He also proposed that the transport ministry use some of the revenue generated from the sale of special vehicle registration number plates to roll out the MyCRS programme and fund awareness campaigns to encourage the use of such seats.
In February, it was reported that the government collected RM45.9 million last year from the sale of special vehicle registration number plates.
“I also propose a tax relief of up to RM1,000 to purchase CRS seats to encourage their usage,” he said.
Last month, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) reminded parents to use child seats at all times, urging policymakers to tighten enforcement after the death of a one-year-old boy in a crash at the Bukit Kajang toll plaza.
Miros said that while child seats or child restraint systems had been compulsory since 2020, a 2022 study by the institute found that only 30% of children were properly secured in such seats.
When properly installed, age-appropriate child seats can cut the risk of death in car accidents for children aged zero to four by up to 71%, it added. - FMT

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