Nearly a third of children under 12 involved in motor vehicle accidents are seriously injured because they were not wearing seat belts at the time, the Netcare hospital group said on Tuesday.

Many South African motorists were failing their children, it said in a joint statement with the organisation's Netcare 911 emergency service.

"Shocking national statistics revealed by Netcare's trauma division today indicate that 32.5 percent of children, under the age of 12, involved in motor vehicle accidents, were seriously injured simply because they were not properly restrained.

"Of these children, almost 30 percent were under the age of two years."

The injuries from such accidents were extremely serious, and in most instances life altering.

"Gauteng accounted for 60 percent of these serious injuries, while KwaZulu-Natal, at 20.6 percent, was the region with the second most injuries."

According to the statement, the accident figures — released as part of Netcare 911's annual road safety campaign — were accumulated over a 22-month period from Netcare hospitals countrywide.

"Buckling up is the simplest way to save your child's life — and to not insist on the wearing of seatbelts is a form of neglect. By not enforcing the wearing of seatbelts, we are failing our children."

Sapa