AFA-CWA Pushes for Mandatory Use of Child Restraint Devices on All Passenger Aircraft
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) today participated in the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) forum on child passenger safety. As a participant on the Aviation Child Passenger Safety panel, AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend reiterated the union's longstanding call for separate seats and restraints for passengers less than two years of age.
"As flight attendants, we are required to secure all items in the cabin, galley and lavatories; from carry-on bags to coffee pots. We do this because we are trained that in an emergency loose items can be dangerous if flying through the cabin. A lap child has the potential to be one of those 'loose items' that may not only suffer serious injury themselves but also injure others," said Friend.
For over 20 years, AFA-CWA has advocated for the mandatory use of child restraints in aircraft and supported the NTSB's recommendations that the Federal Aviation Administration require all infants and small children use safety seats during takeoff, landing and turbulence. Unfortunately, the FAA's decision to continue allowing children under the age of two to be held on a parent's lap gives many parents the false impression that this practice is safe.
"To achieve one level of safety for our most venerable travelers, we must develop a strong regulation and couple it with adequate monitoring and enforcement. It is through agencies like the NTSB making recommendations aimed at protecting children from death and injury in transportation-related crashes that the traveling public has a slightly increased awareness regarding the need to protect infants and small children," said Friend.
For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill. More than 42,000 flight attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world's largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afanet.org.
SOURCE Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO
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