My BIL is an idiot!!!!

I babysit my 2yo nephew. Yesterday when my BIL dropped him off I asked for his carseat because I was planning on taking the kids to town for a treat. BIL told me he no longer uses a carseat and just a seatbelt is fine. My mouth dropped open, as I was sputtering "but that's not only illegal it's not safe!" I was just in shock. I couldn't believe his stupidity. Does anyone have links to websites that show what can happen in an accident when a toddler isn't in a properly installed carseat?? The more graphic the better, I don't think anythign less would get through the moron's thick skull.

Welcome! Glad you stopped by to get some information.

Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death for children under 14. For each death, there are something like 20 injuries requiring hospitalization. And since neck/spinal injuries are very common in crashes, some of these injuries are permanent and stay with the child for life.

I'll try to dig up some links when I have a chance, here are a couple:

www.saferidenews.com/srncps.html#fatal
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/...tbelt.html

I'd also refer him to the child's pediatrician, who should be familiar with the serious consequences of not using a child restraint.

Oh boy, can I ever relate...I came to post a similar situation. My brother and sil never use carseats for their 2 kids, both well under 40 lbs. Now, they are driving around in a pickup truck with the 2 kids double-buckled in the center lap belt. I've done everything I can think of, including providing a seat, giving them info, driving the kids myself (when they've been dropped off w/out seats at my parents' house), and scolding. I was hoping I could find some specific info on what happens to children who are improperly restrained, especially kids who share a seatbelt.

I just found a toll-free number you can call to report unrestrained children (866-933-KIDS). I guess they will send info to the parents if you just leave a message telling where you witnessed it, the date, and the license plate number. I may try that, and call our local police station, too, to see what if anything they will do. My dh said he just heard that a parent spent 48 hrs in jail after being caught w/o a seatbelt, and with an improperly restrained child in the car. I don't necessarily want *that* to happen, but maybe the threat would be enough!

On further contact with the hospital that runs that toll-free number, I found that they may not be able to do anything for vehicles spotted outside the state of Illinois. The wording on one of their webpages was a little misleading. What they meant was that you could report a vehicle from any state, but that it had to be reported while it was travelling in Illinois...

You can still try it, but they may or may not be able to send information for sightings outside Illinois.

I encourage you to look through the links on my link page, especially in the story sections. There are some good real life examples of children being injured - or mentioned as being lucky to survive - when not properly restrained.

user.mc.net/~carseat/links2.html OR
www.geocities.com/hightma...links.html