BMW Malaysia and partners subsidise 150 units of infant car seats

PETALING JAYA: BMW Malaysia aims to accelerate the adoption of child car seats through a subsidy programme as part of the BMW Safety 360° initiative.

In collaboration with Childline Foundation and Safe ‘n Sound, 150 units of infant carrier car seats will be made available at a subsidised price of RM100 each.

This is in line with the Malaysian Transport Ministry’s move to enforce the usage of child car seats starting January 2020.

To encourage the adoption of child car seat usage, drivers will not be penalised for the first six months of enforcement but will receive warnings to install the seats.

“With only 30% of drivers using child car seats for their children, it became more imperative for us as automakers to press on for child safety, regardless of the challenges we encounter in the fight for its education and accessibility," said BMW Group Malaysia managing director Harald Hoelzl.

"It is encouraging to see the Ministry of Transport take a definite step into making child car seats mandatory in the year to come, but at the same time, recognises that there are parents who may have limited access to them – therefore providing tax breaks and reduced excise fee for child car seats.

"In support of that, we are now bringing the subsidy programme online to make infant carrier car seats accessible to households with income less than RM 3,000 a month.”

The rear-facing infant carrier car seat, which retails at RM199, can be used from birth to 13kg and carries the ECE R44-04 certification.

Parents can register for the subsidised infant carrier car seat here from now until Dec 15, 2019. Parents eligible for the subsidy will be notified, after which a payment of RM100 must be made prior to the pick-up of the car seat.