Car seat laws?

Question

Does anyone else see parents driving around with no car seats? I saw a van full of kids from about 3 months to 6 years and not one was in a car seat!! I called 911! What the hell is wrong with people! You don't have to buy a $300.00 Britax, just buy an effin car seat! I'm trying to talk to my congressman about stiff penalties for breaking this law. What do you think?

I honestly think that there should be a car seat registry. If you have a child that requires a car seat then you should have to register it with you state every 6 months. If you fail to regisiter an approriate seat then your liscense should be suspended until it is regisitered. It may seem like a long, repeatitive process but if it saves one child life is it not worth it? How much would that computer prgram cost with an automatic 800 number. Sounds like a step in the right direction to me!

Answer 1

I can fully understand the situation I've seen this happen everywhere including military installations. Some parents just dont care. Unfortunately it is hard to get something done about a child without a car seat until something does happen. Most states only have laws for children up to 4 years of age and 40 lbs. Any actions taken will only be effective in your individual state because driving laws are regulated by each state not the federal government. The biggest thing that may help is local law enforcement cracking down on individuals who are breaking a car seat law until a new law with better penalties is passed.

Answer 2

I see this all too often, and I do the same thing. When I call 911, it seems like they do not care. They tell me it is not an emergency, and to contact the local police dept. But, as soon as that car crashes and all those children are hurt, or worse, killed, suddenly "something has got to change!" I say, why does something bad have to happen to get people to pay attention. And the worst part is, 9 times out of 10, the parents HAVE seat belts on!!! There are so many programs out there to get cheap or even free car seats, it is beyond me that people would risk the life of their child to save a few dollars, or a few mins of time to get the free 1. They even give them away at the hospital if you do not have one to take the baby home in. Wise up people, I don't care how good of a driver you think you are, there are millions of others on the road with you. It only takes 1 second to crash and potentially kill your child.

Answer 3

I was beginning to think I was the only one who was dismayed by this. I see kids ALL the time sitting on someone's lap in the front seat, climbing around in the back. The parents will drive right past a cop and nothing! When mine were little and they went through that unbuckling stage, I would hear them unbuckle and pull over right away and shut the car down. I would say "I wonder what happened. The car just won't work." My kids were convinced that the car did not operate if there was a buckle undone.

Answer 4

I agree - you can buy a decent car seat for about 40 or 50 dollars. It's a small price to pay for the safety of your children.
Perhaps we in the USA should lobby our congresspeople so that every police station in the country can give out free car seats to people who can't afford them, but they have to show proof that they can't afford one. I would be all for that and even be willing to pay a little more in local tax to fund such a program.
Just the other day I saw a story on the news that a 9 month old baby was killed in a car wreck because he wasn't in a car seat. That is so very sad, and preventable!

Answer 5

I ve started to see some ads about child seating in a car, and they say it's prohibited for a child below 12 years old to sit in the front. But hey, do what is best for you and you child ! Back seat if he's still young!

Answer 6

Gosh, I guess I'll get on the bandwagon of people agreeing with you. I hate seeing people with their kids hanging out of the windows of their car, or bouncing up and down with no seat belt on. It is so dangerous.

Parents should be responsible enough to strap their children in, but when they fail, I believe that the police should step in. Unfortunately, since the police have to wait until appropriate seats are brought to the scene before leaving (which can take quite a while), often they will ignore these kids because they don't want to be inconvenienced...

It's pretty sad when parents can't deal with the "inconvenience" of buckling up their kids, and the next level of protection (police officers) can't deal with the "inconvenience" of enforcing a law.

Answer 7

the other day I could see through the back of a van window at least two toddlers not in car seats and NOT EVEN SEAT BELTED IN. I was furious. What the h*ll is wrong with people nowdays. If they get in a wreck those kids are going throught the windshield. People just have mush for brains. I totally agree with you. We need much stiffer penalties for children who are not in car seats and are not belted in!!

Answer 8

I agree, I get so angry when I see children not in car seats. What are the parents thinking. Of course these type of parents probably can't pay the stiff fine anyway, maybe a few days in jail will do them good!

Answer 9

I absolutely agree!! People say "I love my kids", but they sure as He** don't prove it if they let their kids ride in a car with no seatbelt/carseat!

"But my kid throws a fit!" WHO IS THE PARENT HERE??? My kids rode in a car seat from the day they came home from the hospital. Sure, around the age of 2 they both tried to get out of the seat. I stopped the car, smacked their butts, and put them back in the seat. No amount of crying could make me change my mind. Their safety was more important than their tantrums!!

Good for you for calling 911!!

Answer 10

Ohhh this really makes me mad.

Bet you if they went and bought a huge flat screen TV they'd strap that it though.

Here in the UK we DO have quite strict seat belt laws, but they are rarely policed, let alone enforced. I get this urge to just bump them when they are in front of me, just to make them realise just what the damage could be. Stupid stupid people. Good on you calling the police and I wish you luck with your campaign to get this stupidity stopped.