Common Sense (and How) Carpooling Safety Tips
After blogging the press release on underground parking garage safety (park near a light), we've become aware that re-packaging the blindingly obvious is putting food on the table of public relations companies. It may not be enough for a regular feature, but your comments on the garage story were amusing enough for us to offer you this tidbit from Graco Children's Products. After telling carpooling school parents to make sure all the kids have the right-sized car seat (presumably all made by Graco), the company advises motorized caregivers to place all children under 12 in the rear seat, choose the right car seat, make sure it's fitted properly and lock the doors. Oh, and keep a contact sheet "readily available" in case, well, you know. I'll start the bidding with this addition: seat siblings as far away from each other as humanly possible.
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Stephan A lot of child car seats convert to a booster seat. Question is, will mom and dad use it...
Back in my day my sister & I rode across the country in the back seat of a 1965 Mustang. I don't think I was child seat age, but probably was booster seat age. Of course since there weren't any seatbelts in the back, I guess the booster wasn't really necessary. ;^) & I'm only 32. Now I wear my seatbelt all the time, but tend to think that selt belt laws (for adults) are silly. If you're dumb enough not to strap yourself in you deserve what you get.
As a paramedic, it drives me nuts to see kids in the front seat of cars... Usually unbelted. Don't those parents know that an airbag can take the kid's head clean off? (That's what I tell them, anyway.) @MaxHedrm: Any unrestrained person can effectively become a missile, posing a threat not only to themselves, but others as well. A 200lb man can do an amazing amount of damage when he hits something at 60 mph.
Attractive intelligent people wear a seat belt. I wear mine. As for required seat belt use. Well, I can see both sides of the issue but I do tire of paying higher medical care costs to help cover the injuries incurred by the non-belted ones AND I tire of seeing folks on life-long Social Security disability sucking in far more money than they ever paid into the fund due to injuries a seat belt could have avoided or reduced.