No child restraint - twice in 2 days. What is wrong with people??

[justmum]

Yesterday I was at the shops doing the grocery shopping. I kept passing the same couple in the supermarket.

The family was parked next to me in the carpark. They loaded up their nice new people mover. Dad got in the driver's seat. Mum got in the back seat with baby on her lap and off they drove.

Then today I was driving home from a baby shower and I saw a couple in a very expensive new convertible driving along the freeway. Then I noticed the child sitting on the lady's lap. The roof was down and they were speeding more than 100 kms an hour.

What is wrong with people? Why isn't the message getting through? Babes die when they are not properly restrained in cars. It is so simple! How can people be so selfish??

I sincerely hope that those 2 children are safe.

Sorry, vent over. :(

[Shanaynay]

I see it quite often, I'd say it's not an uncommon occurance :no:
There's likely to even be people on this forum who do it :(

[Lollie86]

That is so sad and oh so wrong....:no:

My SIL is one who doesnt take car restraints seriously and put her then 6 mth old in a booster seat with just an adult seat belt and has driven on numorous occasions with no restraint and him on someones lap. :shame:

Some people just dont understand how dangerous it is. :rolleyes:

[Mahjong]

I see it a lot here on the Coast, AND the parents have their belts on, just not their kids!
They are little missiles, one hit of the brakes and they can go flying through the windscreen.

I actually reported a mother from Kindy last week to the Kindy director for doing this. 3 weeks in a row I had seen her do it with her two young ones. Coming to and from the Kindy, twice a week :thumbsdown:

[fifipirko]

:no: I have never seen anyone doing it .. I can not imagine to do so though .. it is not that hard .. put her in .. buckle up and off we are :thumbsup:

[2sweetgirls]

Its just plain selfish. I have seen it before also. I see alot of toddlers just in adult seat belts, and not in car seats.

I think booster seats are also a Joke, i know it now the OT but I have a very strong opinion on it!

[justmum]

I see it quite often, I'd say it's not an uncommon occurance
There's likely to even be people on this forum who do it

How sad - this is the first time I have really noticed it. I hope no one on here does it too. It is just so dangerous.


That is so sad and oh so wrong....:no:

My SIL is one who doesnt take car restraints seriously and put her then 6 mth old in a booster seat with just an adult seat belt and has driven on numorous occasions with no restraint and him on someones lap. :shame:

Some people just dont understand how dangerous it is.

Why don't people get the message? It makes me so sad for the little bubbas.


I see it a lot here on the Coast, AND the parents have their belts on, just not their kids!
They are little missiles, one hit of the brakes and they can go flying through the windscreen.

I actually reported a mother from Kindy last week to the Kindy director for doing this. 3 weeks in a row I had seen her do it with her two young ones. Coming to and from the Kindy, twice a week :thumbsdown:

Good on you for reporting it. I would have said something if I had caught the first couple before they zoomed off (I followed them out onto the road :o) or if I had pulled over to a light with the second couple. I am a pretty much each to their own kind of person, but this makes me wild.


:no: I have never seen anyone doing it .. I can not imagine to do so though .. it is not that hard .. put her in .. buckle up and off we are :thumbsup:

Exactly - it isn't hard is it?

[Mamaduke]

I once saw a heroin addicted mother take her newborn baby home from the special care nursery and got into a car and put the baby on her lap.
She must have seen the look on my face because she became nervous and proceeded to put the poor bubba into a BOOSTER SEAT and put the seatbelt over the top of him!
I let the nurses in the SCN know but I don't think there was much they could have done.

[Nowhere]

there is NO excuse for not useing a proper baby child car restraint non at all

[justmum]

All of this is making me incredibly sad for these little babies children. I have seen first hand what happens to babies and children in car accidents.

Maybe people really don't know of the risks associated with not properly restraining your child if this practice is so wide spread? :confused: I just don't understand why the government doesn't do ad campaigns about it.

[noniwaldron]

at our antenatal class we had a bloke from little's child restraints show us a graphic video showing the damage that can be done.

there was no question that we'd get our seat professionally installed and won't reverse it until 12(?)kg or whatever the recommended weight is, then get the proper toddler seat thing later and whatever is recommended by the RTA.

why do people scrimp on such a massively important baby item? are they just being cheap? or are they just not aware? GRRRR....

[little mermaid]

Some people just don't care. :mad: I know a family with a few children and they are like that. Hold them or just let them sit where ever in the car with no car seats. They have a tiny child that is only just hit 11 kilos and she has been out of a car seat for a long time. They just let her sit (kneal actually) on the front seat of the car!!!!:hissy:

It doesn't matter how many times you tell people if they dont want to do they just wont. I can't wait until they actually start enforcing the new laws!!

[toni796]

:confused: I just don't understand why the government doesn't do ad campaigns about it.

The government can't even get the laws up to scratch let alone canpaign about it.

It is common sence to know you have to have children it propper child restraints. Ther is no one else to blame except the parents of these children and I hope for the sake of these children nothing happens to them.

[Squeegee]

Until people have seen a video be it on youtube or anywhere else about the dangers of not using correct child restraints they don't get it. They don't understand the force of crashes on young children. And most of all they don't believe anything can or would happen to them or their kids!

Ignorance is NOT bliss.:no: Let's hope with these new laws coming in the govt will start putting more info out there...until then we mums have to care for each other and help keep our kids safe by getting the message out there:yes:

[brodiebunch]

Some laws don't help either.We called for a cab to go out one night when ds was 1 and asked for it to have a saftey point for the car seat.They proceded to ask childs age and when I said one they told my not to worry that he could just sit on the seat as that was what the law indicated was the safe age:eek:.We drove ourselves and I haven't caught a cab since.

[Me]

Some laws don't help either.We called for a cab to go out one night when ds was 1 and asked for it to have a saftey point for the car seat.They proceded to ask childs age and when I said one they told my not to worry that he could just sit on the seat as that was what the law indicated was the safe age:eek:.We drove ourselves and I haven't caught a cab since.

:eek: BB that is disgusting of the cab company! It is your child, you are entitled to decide how they will be transported. Oh that makes me so made for you. Good on you for steering clear of them, I'd be doing the same if I were you.

[babyboo]

I have a friend who also has a 4 year old and it just rips at my stomach to see her put her 4 year old in the 'front seat' with a normal seat belt and has apparently been doing that for some time. Many times I have mentioned to her that it is very dangerous without sounding judgemental and have even given her my spare booster seat to use, which got put out in the back yard and never used. And still. . . she drives around with her 4 year old not properly secured in the car. I nearly lost my little girl at birth and the thought of someone being so damn complacent makes me pretty angry inside. But, when its not your child and they dont listen. . . .what can you do but hope and pray that they never have an accident.

This has bugged me for some time and I just had to get it off my chest.

I saw one of those movies a while ago and it was incredibly sad. I now have my daughter in a maxi rider 5 point harness. If its the least i can do for my dd saftey then thats where she sits. . .without a doubt!! And i find it really is peace of mind.

oh and her reasoning for not doing it is 'her daughter doesnt like it'. How pathetic. . . . I just could not believe my ears when i heard her say that. Who is the parent!!!!! It is our responsibility to keep our kids safe!!!!

[punkbaby]

I cant stand this it gets me so upset. If ds wasnt in a car seat at the age of 3 when we got hit, he wouldnt be here and we were a block from home. (it split into two peices) I would hate to see the damage to a younger child. I think people dont realise that hanging onto a child isnt possible when your cars spinning or you get hit.

Its a joke putting kids lives at risks and so sad that these children suffer should they have an accident. I wish they hurried these new laws up or i wish they had a "dob in a no car seat"hotline :(

[MummaBear03]

they don't get it.
People do get it, they aren't stupid, but they just don't feel like fighting with their kids about where they sit. I've gone through that stage with my daughter where she's seen other kids younger than herself sitting in the front seat and thought she'd put on a turn too. She was 3 at the time and of course she didn't win. She sat in her car seat and that's the end of it. It was exhausting while she was going through it but after a couple of weeks she got through her stubborn head that there was no other way of travelling in a car for her. That's just how it is. She squirmed while I strapped her in one of the times and pushed her belly out as I buckled her in and pinched her belly in the clip :o It was totally unintentional but at the same time she hasn't tried doing that again and soon after that she stopped asking me if she can sit in the front. To some it's not worth the battle though.

[justmum]

The thing that gets me too is that of all the mums I know who had babies at the same time as me in Perth (10 months ago - none on here!) I am the only one who hasn't turned my baby around.

So far as I am aware only 2 of the babies are 12kg and they were turned ages ago anyway.

I've tried talking to all of them about it but I got "they like it better facing forward". WTF - since when was parenting about putting what your child liked above what was better for them?

[confusd]

when are you ment to change the seats around???? my DD is 6 months and her feet hit the seat because she is so long, but she only weighs like 6.8kg! is there a certain age or weight??

[justmum]

The recommendation is that you keep your child rear facing to AT LEAST 8kgs but you should keep them rear facing as long as the seat allows. In Australia most seats are rated for rear facing up to 12kgs.

My DS feet are hitting the back seat too and, anecdotally, there is evidence to suggest that in certain accidents he may get a broken leg. But in a forward collision (the most common type of collision) babies who are forward facing are much more likely to suffer head, neck and spine injuries than adults because their heads are so large relative to their bodies, their muscles are so stretchy and their spines are still very soft.

This is the case even if the accident is so mild that it only causes mild whip lash or even no symptoms at all in adults travelling in the same car.

There should be some more threads under this section that include links to some videos of baby sized crash test dummies that will illustrate it for you.

Let me know if you need some info. I am happy to help. :)

[Queen]

:( How sad!!! That poor bubba :( what if?? I can not even think about it:(

[babyboo]

I have been secretly hoping that the police might pull my friend over and have a strong talk to her, etc and book her if that would make her buckle up properly. but honestly i really dont know if that would make any difference.

I dont wish something bad on anyone. . . .but when it comes to children. . .they are the innocent party and they look to us for guidance and to do the right thing for them.

[3blue&1pink]

People do get it, they aren't stupid, but they just don't feel like fighting with their kids about where they sit. :iagree: I totally agree with this... EVERY SINGLE DAY is a fight to get my kids to sit in there seats. My eldest since he was roughly 18 months has been climbing out of his seat that is buckled up.. he twists his hips and legs. YET I was pulled over by a police officer when he was 2 1/2..he was sitting in his seat for once and the copper had the hide to tell me he needed to be a booster seat! I have put him in booster seats before... it last for all of maybe 10 seconds! My 2 year old is learning this off his brother and it is not fun.. when we go on long drives the ONLY way to keep my 3 year old in his seat is to use a zip tie.. which I hate to use.. if we were in an accident there is a zip tie on his seat that would make it harder to get him out... we buy ones that DP can break with his hand to make it easier but still.. not all mothers have there kids out of there seats by choice.. if they have a child like mine then I do feel bad for them!

I didnt say this to be flamed or have people 'put me down' I was just adding in that not all kids actually sit in there seats and do as they are told!

[Leisa21]

There are no excuses because of money either. There is a baby bonus so if you are that stuck leave the plasma at the shop and buy a baby capsual. How can you look in those beautiful eyes and not feel sick with worry. The thought of something happening to my DS makes me sick and anxious, and thats anything outside my control. How can someone willingfully allow any threat of harm come to there babies? Just awful. I wont even jump in a cab with bubs even tho its legal its just stupid.

[Sheer Bliss]

The thing that gets me too is that of all the mums I know who had babies at the same time as me in Perth (10 months ago - none on here!) I am the only one who hasn't turned my baby around.

So far as I am aware only 2 of the babies are 12kg and they were turned ages ago anyway.

I've tried talking to all of them about it but I got "they like it better facing forward". WTF - since when was parenting about putting what your child liked above what was better for them?

I'm with you!! A friend turned her 4month old 'because she is 8kg - i CAN' and i hear comments about 'oh but she's much happier facing fwd' :rolleyes: DS is 1 on Sunday & 10.5kg, and STILL rearward facing. Sometimes he spits it, and arches his back when i put him in, esp after sitting in the pram some days, but so what - it's for his own safety.

I HATE thinking about people not using child restraints (or in this case, sitting on laps :eek:) it's not always the easiest option, i have stood there for 5mins on a hot day getting then 2yo DD into her car seat, and had to buy a strap thing to stop her taking her arms out - but when it's a matter of car safety, I am a nazi!!!

[Chunkydunks]

when are you ment to change the seats around???? my DD is 6 months and her feet hit the seat because she is so long, but she only weighs like 6.8kg! is there a certain age or weight??

The new laws that are coming in are: Rear facing to 6mths, in full restaint to 4yrs, in booster to 7yrs.
The laws that are currently in are: rear facing to 8kg or until their feet touch the seat, front facing to atleast 14kg or until the eyes are at the level of the top of the restraint, booster to 18kg or until the eyes are at the top of the seat. These rules are in place because a restraint is no longer effective if the neck is not supported and they judge this on the positioning of the head. If a child in a rear facing restaint has its feet touching the seat in an accident it can break their leg (thats what kidsafe told me).

My SIL was one of those that never had her kids in a propper restraint. my niece was out of a booster when her 2nd brother was born and would have been all of 3 and a very small 3 at that. Their excuse was they couldn't fit 3 car seat across the back seat. Yeah right i've seen it done in that car before. now all 3 of the kids should still be in boosters and only the youngest is. I didn't move my boy into a booster until he was 15kgs and he's a tall boy too. Also the used car seat we had was getting old so instead of buying a new car seat we go the booster. But never have i had him in the car with out an approprate restraint.