Providing Child Car Seats in Taxis and Private Hire Cars

ADJOURNMENT MOTION

Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Question proposed.

PROVIDING CHILD CAR SEATS IN TAXIS AND PRIVATE HIRE CARS

Madam, every car ride is a journey. On such journeys, when you have young kids like my wife and I, there are certain things we will never forget to bring.

For Ella there is her LOL doll. For Katie there is her LOL doll. And for Poppy, you guess it – there is her LOL doll.

There was a time when my daughters each received different toys and they would bicker over who gets what. Then, one day, my eldest daughter Ella told me, "Daddy, why do not you just give us the same toys so we do not need to quarrel anymore?" Wise advice from that little one that I gladly followed.

But there is something more important than anything else to bring, even these dolls and, that is, our child car seats, enough for all three of our girls.

Madam, a child car seat can help save lives. A few years back, a young mother sat in the passenger seat of a car, cradling her child in her arms. And why not? It was a day of perfect road conditions. The sky was clear, the roads were dry and the traffic was light.

But in just seconds, the car crashed. The child fractured her skull, bled from her nose and mouth and faced severe brain damage. And after three days on life support, the child passed away.

I spoke to A&E and Neonatal ICU doctors, and they shared with me many more such stories, whose details are too gory for this House. They all tell me: a child car seat could have made a difference. Indeed, that is why we require young passengers of all cars to be secured in a child car seat.

All cars, except one kind: taxis. If your child rides a taxi today, there is no legal requirement for them to sit in a child car seat.

Today, I will offer four recommendations that will make taxi and PHC rides safer for the children of Singapore.

LTA is already working hard on this issue of child car seats. They have consulted with stakeholders and members of the public. I thank LTA for their hard work. But as they have shared, opinions are "very divided" and a compromise remains elusive.

To build a compromise, I spent months speaking with LTA, parents, taxi drivers, PHC drivers, doctors and other members of the public and Taxi Baby, an organisation involved in child car seats.

I am also a parent who brings child car seats onto taxis and PHCs. My wife does not have a driving licence and relies on public transport, so we, too, understand the difficulties and the trade-offs involved.

Is it easy and convenient? No. Were my kids screaming when put in child car seats initially? Yes. But if we start them in the child car seats as newborns, they will get used to it quite quickly and the screaming stops. Most importantly, will it significantly lower the risks of injury and death during accidents? Without a doubt, yes.

I thank all the taxi and PHCs drivers who have patiently helped my wife and I as we put three little ones in child car seats. They understand why we want to and they are supportive.

Madam, I believe the proposals I will share today represent a way forward that will satisfy and benefit everyone. I am speaking up about this so that no one lives in regret – not the child who faces serious injury or death, not the parents who wish they could have done more, and not the taxi and PHC drivers who will have to live with the guilt.

Let me start with my first and main proposal.

The Government should provide two child car seats to every taxi and PHC currently on the road. Since it is given free, passengers should be able to use them for free, too.

Children of different ages require different child car seats. So, the first seat should be for children aged nine months to four years old. The second seat should be for those aged four and above. [Child car seats were shown to hon Members.]

Child car seats are extremely effective at protecting children. This is an indisputable fact. The World Health Organization states that a child car seat reduces the risk of injury by up to 90%. Doctors at our own KKH found that a child not in a child car seat was 8.4 times more likely to be seriously injured in a road accident.

I respect our taxi drivers, but they are not immune to something going wrong. MOT data shows that, on average, taxis are involved in about three injury-causing accidents daily. Children can and do ride taxis and they need to be protected.

My proposal has three major benefits. The first benefit is increased convenience. Last year, LTA ran a pilot with SMRT where all of SMRT taxis were equipped with one child car seat. Usage rate was low.

So, I am suggesting we do things differently.

The SMRT pilot provided one seat only for children aged four and above. By contrast, my proposal with two seats covers children of nearly every age. As each family has an average of two children in Singapore, this will help a good proportion of families.

The SMRT pilot was also limited to just one company. My proposal allows parents to continue taking the taxi or PHC service of their choice.

Let me give an example of how my proposal would help. I spoke to Eva, a young mother. One night, having travelled out on an MRT, she decided to return home in a taxi. She normally brings child car seats, but this ride was unplanned. Instead, since it was also just a short journey, she held her daughter in her arms and sat her son next to her. This one time that she did not use child car seats was the one time that she got into an accident. A lorry crashed into their taxi. Her daughter was flung out of her arms and fell on the floor. She shared with me that she always thought she could hold on to her daughter if an accident like that happened. By a stroke of luck, the kids did not suffer serious injuries. But there was a lot of trauma. For weeks, the children faced nightmares.

Parents may think that an accident would not happen that one time that they do not put their child in a child car seat. Parents may think that they can hold to their child in an accident. As Eva's story shows, accidents can happen to anybody and when it strikes, no parent can be 100% sure that they can hold on and protect their children.

For parents like Eva, my proposal means they will need to carry fewer or even no child car seats when going out. When it comes to child car seats, convenience means safety.

The second benefit of my proposal is lower costs. As Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Baey points out, low costs for parents should be a priority in this pandemic economy. He pointed to existing ride options that already provide child car seats. But these recommendations are not price-competitive. A GrabFamily car costs more, sometimes much more, than a typical Grab ride and is harder to find.

By contrast, my proposal allows parents to use child car seats at no costs and they can shop for the cheapest taxi or PHC provider they can find. Nothing keeps costs low like good old market competition after all.

The third benefit of my proposal is fewer driver-passenger conflicts. Ask any PHC driver and they will tell you stories about driving a long way to the pick-up point, only to find that the passenger has brought their children. These drivers have to turn the passengers away. The parents get confused; they get upset. They ask, "How come I can bring my child in a taxi but not your car?"

My proposal makes this a non-issue. Every taxi and PHC will have child car seats. There is no reason for any driver to turn away any parent anymore or risk breaking the law. All taxis and PHC drivers will have an increased customer base and can potentially earn more because of this. PHC drivers will also be happy to spend less time travelling to passengers they cannot pick up. Parents will be happy to avoid wasting their own time and money. Everyone is happy. And because everyone is happy, I am sure MOT will be happy too.

At this stage, I have talked a lot about the benefits. Let me also take this opportunity to address some of the concerns that have been raised. In particular, MOT has said that taxis are street-hailed and cannot afford the trade-offs of boot space and installation time.

This used to be true; but today, only about 20% of all rides are street-hail and I am sure all of us in this House will agree that a parent with kids will book a taxi rather than use street-hail.

Let me also address concerns about space. Taxis and PHCs have to carry whatever barang barang commuters bring. How can they squeeze two child car seats into storage? Here, I want to emphasise one thing. Technology has evolved. Today's child car seats are not just the large clunky ones you have known for decades. You can see for yourself how small they are: this child car seat is for children aged nine months to four years old and this seat is for those aged four years old and above. [Child car seats were shown to hon Members.]

Taxi and PHC drivers were shocked when I showed them these car seats. One fits in a glove compartment and the other barely takes up any space in the boot. As I have shown in the video on my social media platforms, they fit with more than enough room left in the boot for two suitcases. The space concerns become minimal, even for hybrid cars.

The next concern I have heard is about time. Would not car seats take a long time to assemble? Again, taxi and PHC drivers were shocked when I show them how I take just one minute and 16 seconds to set up the two car seats, including buckling my daughters up in them. You can see the video on my social media platforms. This is faster than helping a passenger in a wheelchair to board a taxi and not much longer than helping passengers with many bags arrange them in the boot.

The third and final concern is about costs. Rather than impose costs on parents and taxi and PHC drivers, my proposal asks that the Government steps in to provide these child car seats. So, how much will it cost to deck an island of taxis and PHCs with these child car seats?

I checked and have a quote ready. It is $15,050,620. Here is the exact quotation I have got for MOT. I have addressed it to Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey but he tells me I should address it to MOF as well.

Madam, with a public tender, I am sure the final cost would be far lower. This amount is not a lot, compared to similar projects. After a boy was flung out of his school bus in a road accident in 2008, we set aside more than twice the amount – $35 million – to retrofit seat belts in small buses. More recently, we are also spending around $15 million in grants and incentives to reduce the dangers from PMDs.

I will also add that this cost-benefit analysis needs to go beyond the cost of these seats themselves.

As Tammie, a physiotherapist, shared with me on Facebook, we must "spend a few days in a traumatic head injury or spinal chord injury rehabilitation ward to understand true cost. How do you cost the loss of vocation, loss of bladder control, loss of memory, loss of executive functioning, loss of time, loss of potential and the resultant burden on families?”

This brings me to my second proposal. My second proposal is to launch an awareness campaign. This campaign would focus on two things: one, the universal availability of child car seats in taxis and PHCs; and two, the critical importance of using these seats.

Many parents do not know that child car seats are important. Indeed, in about 50% of road accidents involving children, child car seats were not used.

It is not hard to guess what went through those parents' minds. I recall when we drove up to Cameron Highlands years ago. Ella, then a little baby, cried almost the entire way in her child car seat. She hated the idea of sitting anywhere other than on Mommy and Daddy's lap.

Sometimes, the most instinctive thing for a parent to do is to hold their child tight. I can hardly blame anyone for this instinct. I feel it myself. But we must do what is right for our children, not just what feels right. We must build a culture where child car seats are always used. Not just sometimes, not just occasionally, but always.

My proposal of providing child car seats to taxis and PHCs would be a key part of this awareness campaign.

The Government could tie up with taxi operators, ride-hailing companies, the National Taxi Association and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association. There could be joint marketing campaigns – from banners on our streets to notifications on apps to in-vehicle stickers for raising awareness on child car seats. As an added bonus, helping parents learn about child car seats in taxis and PHCs will also encourage them to use them in their own cars, if they eventually buy one.

Madam, my third recommendation is to work with hospitals to increase access to and use of infant car seats and change mindsets right at the start. Hospitals should include in the prenatal classes lessons on how to use infant car seats, just like how they teach parents how to safely carry, feed, bathe and change infants.

Travelling safely is no less important. I am glad that KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) already includes a child car seat in its packing checklist for parents admitting for delivery. After all, most infants are brought home from hospitals in cars. What precedent does it set if the very first car ride does not involve an infant car seat?

To help parents, hospitals could provide infant car seats at a low price. I understand there were previous discussions with hospitals about supplying a subsidised infant car seat costing as low as $99. In fact, there are options out in the market now costing as low as $79. These are easy to carry and can fit easily onto a stroller. Hospitals can sell these to parents who do not have infant car seats ready at the point of discharge.

I hope the Government can facilitate a pilot like this. Again, with a public tender and buying in bulk, I am sure the price will be even cheaper. The price of these seats can also be added to the hospital bill. To help lower income families manage costs, this can then be covered by MediFund where needed. We can also consider allowing parents to use their Child Development Account to pay for this infant car seat.

Finally, I call on the Government to study the impact of my proposals, collect additional data on car accidents involving children and study the experiences of other countries, all with an eye to reviewing whether our laws should be updated to make child car seats compulsory in taxis. In addition, jurisdictions, such as Germany, California and New South Wales, already require the use of child car seats in taxis. We should study their experiences and apply their learnings.

Madam, I know my proposals will involve operational concerns. Let that not stop us from taking action. My fellow Member of Parliament and Advisor to the National Taxi Association and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, Ms Yeo Wan Ling, shared their feedback with me. The drivers and associations are supportive of this move to ensure the safety of our young families in Singapore. Having these options will expand the ridership base for both our taxi and private hire drivers.

However, she also noted that there are some operational and safety constraints, such as maintaining the cleanliness of child car seats, disinfecting these seats to ensure high standards of hygiene and the time taken to set up these seats.

These are valid concerns and I welcome feedback from all stakeholders to refine the proposals. As we all share the same concerns for the safety of our children, I have no doubt that we can work together to find a feasible arrangement which addresses the operational and safety concerns.

I look forward to further dialogues with the associations, LTA and other stakeholders to strengthen the proposals and make our journeys safer for our children while taking into account the various trade-offs.

Madam, in conclusion, I would like to remind all of us that times have changed. We decided to exempt taxis from child car seats a few decades ago. Child car seat technology has improved drastically since then. What was safe is now even safer. What was impractical is now practical. Our laws and policies must keep up.

In 2006, the idea of installing seat belts in school buses was raised in this House. The Government then replied, let us think carefully about this; after all, there has been no serious injuries for the past six years. But just two years later, a boy was flung out of a school bus and died. This roused the Government to immediate action. Within the year, we mandated the installation of seat belts in school buses and funded it.

Let us not wait for another young one to be hurt before we take action. Taxis are involved in, again, about three injury-causing accidents on average each day. It is a matter of when, not if.

Do not just take it from me as well. Doctors are pushing hard for this, too. Assoc Prof Chong Shu-Ling from the Department of Emergency Medicine at KKH said, "Just as we would spare nothing to give our children the best, we must endeavour to put them in appropriate car restraints to protect them in the event of a road collision. We must choose to avoid death and permanent brain damage that can occur if an unrestrained child gets seriously hurt."

Another doctor from KKH, Dr Nirmal Visruthan said, "Motor vehicular incidents can be especially traumatic in infants. Using an appropriate car restraint reduces this risk several folds. They can be flung from the car seat if unrestrained and develop head injuries which can cause brain damage. As a parent and paediatrician, it is hard for me to see the children deteriorate or die from these severe injuries. The parents too may suffer from massive guilt of disregarding the importance of strapping them in."

Madam, I join the doctors and many others in calling for this important change that will help save lives. Let me end with a quote, as always: "A health and safety problem can be described by statistics but cannot be understood by statistics. It can only be understood by knowing and feeling the pain, anguish, depression and shattered hopes of the victims and of wives, husbands, parents, children, grandparents and friends."

Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Member started with a story about his daughters and the three dolls. I also have three kids, but we never bought three sets of toys for our kids because we believe that they should learn to share.

The Member has raised several Parliamentary Questions before on the topic of making child seats mandatory in taxis. I would like to commend the Member for his efforts in engaging the different stakeholders and raising awareness for the importance of child seats. In fact, it was the Member who first gave the idea for SMRT's booster seat trial. We also enjoyed the video he made with his two adorable daughters and shared on social media.

We all agree that safety is important. Therefore, we have introduced many measures to protect the safety of motorists, their passengers and other road users. These include good traffic rules, stringent standards in awarding driving and vocational licences, effective traffic management systems and enforcement.

As an additional measure to protect our children, we require all passengers under 1.35 metres in height to be properly secured using approved child restraints or booster seats when travelling in motor vehicles. Taxis are the only exception to this rule.

Our practice is similar to countries, such as Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some jurisdictions in the US, including New York and Washington DC. The Member is right that places like Germany, California and New South Wales strictly require child restraints and booster seats to be used in taxis. However, in these places, the onus is generally on the parents to bring along the required types and number of child restraints and booster seats. Taxis there are, generally, not required to provide the child restraints and booster seats.

Let me explain the rationale behind this longstanding exception. Over the years, there have been concerns about bulky child seats taking up significant boot space in taxis and the time taken to install and remove them for each trip. As children of different age groups require different types of restraints and seats, there were also concerns about how to ensure that taxis had the right configuration of child seats to cater to different families.

The alternative was for parents to be responsible for providing the child seats, as is the practice in some countries. But there were practical challenges about parents having to lug heavy, bulky car seats around, especially those with bigger families.

As the Member has rightly pointed out, more portable child restraints and seats have become available on the market in recent years.

In 2019, LTA conducted consultations with the public, drivers, operators and other stakeholders on a suite of regulatory changes for the taxi and private hire car, or PHC, sector. At that time, we had also sought public and industry feedback on the option of mandating the use of child restraints and booster seats in taxis. However, views were split almost right down the middle. Even within each group of stakeholders consulted, there were different views.

Amongst parents, less than half the respondents to the public consultation supported requiring all children to be properly secured in child restraints or booster seats in taxis. Some parents felt that they are fundamentally responsible for their child's safety and should be able to decide whether to bring and use child restraints and booster seats. Even if taxis and PHCs are equipped with child restraints and booster seats, some parents also voiced concerns regarding their hygiene and may prefer not to use them. I expect the concerns to be greater now during the current pandemic.

Larger families will also have to divide themselves into multiple vehicles as the carrying capacity of taxis will be reduced with child restraints and booster seats. For example, a family with two adults and three children can commute in one taxi now. If we impose a child seat requirement, the carrying capacity will be reduced to four and this family will need to take two taxis. I believe this applies to the Member's family as well.

Taxi drivers also raised concerns about mandating child seats. Because of the "flag and go" nature of street-hail trips, it is not possible for commuters to indicate their requirements for child restraints and booster seats in advance. Drivers expressed concerns about their own safety and causing traffic tailbacks and unhappiness from other road users as they set up the child restraints and booster seats by the side of the road.

The Member mentioned that setting up child restraints and booster seats takes less time than helping a passenger in a wheelchair to board a taxi. There is a difference. Passengers in foldable wheelchairs typically board on the side of the street. They are helped on board, the wheelchair is folded and stowed in the boot.

Child restraints and booster seats are quite different. If there are more than one child restraint and/or booster seats, one of them would have to be set up on the side of the road. The parent would also have to squeeze in between the two children. I note that the Member has not shown us his trick in his video of how he managed to squeeze in between his two kids on their booster seats.

Operators also provided feedback that taxis are expected to meet the needs of diverse groups of passengers. It is not feasible to expect taxis to be equipped with the full range and number of child restraints and booster seats to cater to the different age groups and number of child passengers that they may pick up.

While models proposed by the Member are portable, they are for children who are about nine months or older. Child seats for young infants still tend to be bulkier and more expensive.

So, we will work with the operators to review how the Member's suggestion will affect the remaining boot space for other passengers, such as those with foldable wheelchairs or luggage.

In the meantime, we have observed a significant increase in the number of bookings for family-friendly ride-hail services where parents can indicate their requirement in advance for child restraints and booster seats. Our point-to-point transport operators are sensitive to the market and greater demand for child restraints and booster seats from parents will spur operators to increase the provision.

In fact, SMRT has already conducted a booster seat trial, which the Member is familiar with. For the trial, about 1,750 SMRT taxis were equipped with a booster seat each. Although SMRT's booster seats were provided at no extra cost to the passengers, the take-up rate was still low.

We acknowledge the Member's proposals to provide one child seat and one booster seat in each taxi – his first proposal; and to work with hospitals to increase access and use of infant car seats – his third proposal. These are new ideas which we will share with the relevant agencies and stakeholders.

However, looking at the SMRT trial, the issue is not just about the provision of child restraints and booster seats but also how to raise awareness and ensure that parents use the child restraints and booster seats when they are provided. This is the Member's second recommendation, which we fully support.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, safety is a shared responsibility. On the issue of child seats, parents, drivers and operators all need to be on board. So, raising awareness and reaching a common understanding is key.

Today, we have a workable equilibrium where parents who require child restraints and booster seats can book a ride-hail trip while those that need a street-hail taxi urgently can do so without breaching the law. We will look into viable business and operational models that can provide options for those who need child restraints and booster seats while balancing diverse needs by different families. We will be happy to work with the Member to engage the relevant agencies and stakeholders.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Adjourned accordingly at 10.00 pm.