Parents should ensure children are safe in car, says Mercedes-Benz Oman CEO

Muscat: “Children are precious cargo. Make sure they’re secure and safe,” said Lawrence Good, chief executive officer (CEO) of Mercedes-Benz Oman, joining the government, NGOs, and individuals in urging parents to ensure their children remain safe in cars.
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“In the last nine months, I’ve seen a change in driving behaviour, but I still see children bouncing on seats and in front. They’re not belted in,” he said expressing his concern over child safety in vehicles during a live interview with Times TV.
Last week, in an exclusive interview with Times TV, Ali Al Barwani, the CEO of the Oman Road Safety Association, also spoke about the issue. “I think the life of our kids, Oman’s future is very important. Right now, it is not mandatory to have a car seat, by law,” he said, voicing that he doesn’t think there are enough provisions right now that ensure the safety of children in cars.
There have been repeated calls from individuals and organisations exhorting people to ensure that their children are properly seated and wearing seat belts, especially after it was found out that one in every eight deaths on Oman’s roads last year was that of a child. “(Wearing a) Seat belt in the front seat is mandatory by law, but for the back seat passengers it’s not mandatory,” he added, urging for rules and traffic laws to be stricter.
The Holy Month of Ramadan is also a time where people become generous, even when it comes to their purchases.
“It is true that we sell more cars during Ramadan than in any other time of the year. We started the Holy Month with a really strong order bank,” Good said, adding, “My salesmen were selling cars even after 12.30am yesterday, which is rare.”
With the implementation of VAT (Value Added Tax) in the Gulf Cooperation Council next year, people may tend to pull their purchases forward in order to save money he said.
“People may pull forward their purchases from 2018 to 2017. But our business is very fluid and we will deal with it as and when it comes.”
Urging drivers to be careful during the Holy Month, Good stated, “Slow down a little, leave enough space between the vehicle in front and behind you, and the key is child safety.”