Tokyo, Nov. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japan's National Police Agency said Thursday that it will establish an expert panel to consider expanding child safety seat requirements.
The panel will discuss whether children aged 6 or older, who are not currently subject to mandatory child safety seat requirements under the road traffic law, should also be required to use such seats.
It is expected to submit recommendations by the end of this year, based on which the NPA will consider revising the law.
Panel members will include a university professor specializing in automotive engineering, a pediatrician and representatives of the automotive industry. They are expected to discuss issues such as the height threshold for child safety seat use and age-based guidelines.
Automobile seat belts are generally designed for people who are about 150 centimeters tall or taller. When smaller children use seat belts without child safety seats, the belts may not fit properly across the chest and hips, increasing the risk of serious injuries because they can cut into the neck or abdomen in a crash.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
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