Dubai: Children younger than 10 years are not allowed to sit in a car's front seat, warned a chief traffic prosecutor Sunday following an accident that killed two children, including a one-year-old baby and his four-year-old sister.
It is against the Traffic Law and ministerial decision number 127 of 2008 to allow children younger than 10 to be seated in the front seat of a car, cautioned Chief Traffic Prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution (TPP).
His warning remarks came in wake of a traffic accident in which a 29-year-old Emirati mother lost control of her vehicle and rammed into another car resulting in the death of her one-year-old son and her four-year-old daughter on Saturday 8.30pm on Hatta Road.
Seat belt
He also added that passengers in the front seat are required by law to wear their seat belts. He said this applies to driving within or outside the city.
Bu Farousha said. Investigations at the scene revealed, according to the head of TPP, that the mother lost control and veered off from the left to the right lane before she hit a sports utility vehicle driven by a 60-year-old Emirati man.
The woman's vehicle overturned twice and landed at the roadside. Two children died and two Filipina housemaids, aged 23 and 26, a five-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy were injured.
The mother had minor injuries and the SUV driver was not injured.
"We have asked the Hatta Police Station to provide us with a report about the accident and prosecutors have started an investigation."
Bu Farousha said the investigation will focus on which of the children was in the front seat and the fact that there were no children's car seats in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Questioning
He continued: "Upon the directives of Dubai's Attorney General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan, suspects are held liable and questioned if they cause injuries or deaths to their relatives in traffic accidents." Bu Farousha said the court is asked to show compassion to such people and consider the circumstances.
"We ensure that the law is properly enforced hence we constantly ask the court to consider the suspect's emotional state and background, in addition to other factors such as his [or] her clean record, age and the belief that the crime will not be repeated," Bu Farousha added.
When children fall victim to parents' mistakes, the law must be applied humanely, Bu Farousha told Gulf News earlier.
Traffic prosecutors have recorded 44 deaths, including nine Emiratis, in the first four months of this year.
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