The level of awareness on the use of child car seats among the people in Kedah is still low although the use of child car seats will become compulsory nationwide in 2019, said Kedah Road Safety Department (JKJR) director Chan Pei Hong.

She said studies conducted by the department revealed that there were still a lot of people, especially parents, who took the matter lightly.

"Maybe a lot of people think that living in a small district or kampung poses lower accident risks compared with living in the urban or crowded areas. Thus, there is no need for them to use the child car seats.

"However, statistics showed that accidents involving children and babies often occurred in the not so busy or rural areas. In fact, some have been thrown out due to the impact," Chan told reporters after a Road Safety Awareness Among Civil Servants in Kedah Dialogue Session here, Wednesday.

Also present were Road Transport Department Drafting Revision Section chief Abdul Razak Alias and Kedah Road Safety Council deputy chairman Datuk Zahari Ismail.

Meanwhile, Chan said JKJR would increase its cooperation with various quarters including the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) to brief and create awareness on the offence and risk of driving under the influence of alcohol.

"The current threat on the road is not just about driving under the influence of alcohol but (also) drugs. So, we will work closely with AADK in combating this problem," she said. - BERNAMA