KUALA LUMPUR: Strict enforcement, policy and procedural changes, as well as resorting to technology-based solutions, are among the measures needed to prevent deaths of children left unattended in vehicles, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for a Safe Community chairman said strict enforcement of laws and harsher penalties on those responsible for such deaths are a must.
"Schools and transport providers must be legally required to report missing children immediately.
"Companies with repeated violations should be banned from operating," he said when contacted on Sunday (May 4).
He was commenting on the death of a five-year-old boy in a locked school van in Johor Baru recently.
Lee also called for child presence detection systems to be installed in vehicles.
"Weight sensors could produce alerts if a child is left behind while motion detectors could detect movement in a vehicle," he added.
He said mandatory courses on child safety and emergency response should be organised.
"Teachers should also be encouraged to call parents if the child does not arrive at school on time.
"Community vigilance and promotion of awareness must be expanded so bystanders can spot and report unattended children," he added.
Deaths of children left unattended in vehicles are the result of negligence and preventable failures, Lee said.
"A combination of technology, strict laws, better policies, and public awareness must be enforced to protect children. The case in Johor Baru should be the last," he said.
