What made you start your campaign?
I was shocked when I saw that, for many people, strapping your child in is simply a matter of choice. I had several altercations with other drivers and parents – I was constantly remonstrating with other people about their kids bouncing around in the back of cars. Seatbelts save lives. I want to get this message across and change the law to make it obligatory for all kids to buckle up in the back.
Your Dubai facebook page has more than 1,600 fans. Did you ever imagine it would be such a success?
No, I’m really, really surprised! When I started it, I had no idea it would be so successful, I just wanted to do something, so I started with silly messages, chatty updates and stories in the press. It has just grown from there – now people come to me with their own stories, and I’m getting asked to comment in the press. I’m not an expert, I’m just a mum!
Do you still get into disputes with parents?
Yes! I’m not afraid of making people feel uncomfortable. There’s nothing wrong with asking someone why they’re not buckling up their child. It plants a seed, however small. The other day I saw some kids get out of a car – they hadn’t been buckled up – and I asked them ‘Oh, you don’t wear seatbelts?’ in an ‘aren’t you weird’ kind of way. Their dad stepped in and said that they did use seatbelts sometimes, and I said ‘so sometimes you want to save their lives and sometimes you don’t?’ I think he got the message.
Some families will argue it’s a cultural difference, that buckling up is a western habit. Would you agree?
Absolutely not! Buckling up has nothing to do with culture, or religion or colour of skin – that cannot be used as an excuse. And don’t say that car seats are expensive. Not all of them are, and if you can afford to buy and maintain a car, you can afford a car seat. Price has nothing to do with it. Then you have the parents who say it’s because their child kicks and screams if he’s put in a seat. That’s ridiculous. It’s a choice between a screaming child that’s alive and the terrible alternative. Buckling up is simply non-negotiable.
So what are your plans for the capital?
I’m planning on making a concentrated effort, spending a whole month in Abu Dhabi and taking the message to schools. Schools are a great vehicle for the campaign because they generate a community feeling, mums talk at the school gates, then all the other schools want to come on board. And if you talk to the kids, they get it. It’s easy for parents to ignore what I’m saying or consider my actions interfering, but if their own kids are coming home from school and reminding them that they need to be strapped in, then the battle will be won so much faster.
You’ve changed the name, is that right?
Yes. It’s now just Buckle up in the Back. The campaign has spread and it’s not only about Dubai. There’s no limit to people who need to buckle up – Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain – anywhere! It’s such a simple message, a straightforward command, there’s nothing wishy-washy about Buckle up in the Back. The world is the limit!
Join Lesley’s campaign ‘Buckle up in the back Dubai’ on www.facebook.com and make sure you buckle up your kids and yourself – every time!
