Got an old car seat you're not using? How to donate it and potentially save a life

Sara-Jayne Makwala King speaks to Wheel Well founder Peggie Mars about their car seat campaign to help safeguard children this festive season.

Listen below.

ALSO READ: 96% of children hospitalised after accidents were not wearing seatbelts

Have you got a car seat gathering dust because your child has outgrown it? Do not let it go to waste.

Wheel Well is a local organisation dedicated to keeping children in South Africa safe on the roads.

It's asking people to donate unwanted car seats so it can give them to families who can't afford them.

According to Mars, 96% of children admitted to hospital after an accident were either not wearing a seatbelt or not in a car seat.

"For every child that dies in a collision, five more are severely injured and 15 are moderately injured... and it can be prevented."

- Peggie Mars, Founder - Wheel Well

In 2019, a study carried out in Cape Town and published in 2020 showed that just 8% of children in private vehicles in Cape Town were secured in car seats.

"The result of that is 2,000 children being treated for traumatic brain injury."

Peggie Mars, Founder - Wheel Well

"That study found that affordability is an issue, but that ignorance is also an issue."

Peggie Mars, Founder - Wheel Well

So, if you or anybody you know has a seat their child has outgrown, Mars is appealing to you to donate it to a life-saving cause. 

"Any car seat that your child has outgrown and is gathering dust in the garage, please donate it to us... this is for those parents who cannot afford them new."

- Peggie Mars, Founder - Wheel Well

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Click here to find where to drop off your unwanted child car safety seats.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full interview from Weekend Breakfast with Sara-Jayne Makwala King.

ALSO READ: Cape Town launches biggest festive safety operation yet, with record visitor numbers expected