saw my worst car seat install ever..

Baylor

New member

• May 16, 2011

• #1

Made me wan to cry..

Graco Bucket, turned forward with 3 yr old child in it, Not actually strapped in, Just sitting on it..

Then I looked to see if it was attached to the seat anywhere.. Nope.. He put the outboard seat belt through the handle and buckled it in.

I tried to tell him, He kept saying, " I know I know..."

I was just heart broken..

 

S

sunnyday

New member

• May 16, 2011

• #2

An infant bucket? Makes me wonder why they bothered with a carseat at all for this child...?

 

VoodooChile

New member

• May 16, 2011

• #3

I've seen that! Driving through the parking lot at work, a kid probably 4 or so, just sitting in an infant bucket. Part of me wondered if I'd hallucinated it or something b/c it just seemed so weird, like--who would do that??

 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician

• May 17, 2011

• #4

I've seen that too. I had a girl in one of my classes tell me that her son (turned 2 in December) rides without a carseat for quick drives.

 

christineka

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #5

On Sunday I saw a 7 year old boy sitting in the front seat while driving with his dad. That in and in itself isn't unusual, but mom is into car seats. There's a harnessed frontier in the rear-center seat for him to ride in. I don't understand people sometimes.

As for crazy installs, I'm starting to see them more often now that I get to work car seat checks.

 

C

canmom

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #6

Saw that before too. :thumbsdown:

 

Lenae

Active member

• May 17, 2011

• #7

I saw an ETA fully reclined forward facing with the lap belt routed across the front of the base and the shoulder belt just sort of hanging across the front of the seat. I was surpised they used anything at all. Most people around here take their kids out of carseats once they can sit on their own (and therefore don't need the baby bucket to keep them contained without holding them). I have seen one MA that looked like it had a good install, but it was FF with the straps on the lowest slot, so whoever was in that seat wasn't very big.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• May 17, 2011

• #8

christineka said:

On Sunday I saw a 7 year old boy sitting in the front seat while driving with his dad. That in and in itself isn't unusual, but mom is into car seats. There's a harnessed frontier in the rear-center seat for him to ride in. I don't understand people sometimes.

Click to expand...

One of the saddest statistics, to me, that I've read, is that over the years of SafetyBeltSafe running California's car seat violator alternative to ticket class, most of the people there were there not because they had no car seat, but because they had one, often in the car, and it was not being used. It's a head-scratcher until you realize that most people just don't get why it is important. In this case, sounds like mom has not got through to dad the message of WHY he needs to ALWAYS be in his car seat.

 

M

Maisie&BodensMommy

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #9

Um, I saw a state constable (or someone impersonating a constable in a constable car) with her 5 or 6 year old in the front seat, no seatbelt. Way to set an example!

 

Baylor

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #10

Can someone please expain my options when I see something like this? AS a concerned parent.. Is there anything really for me to do?

 

mommycat

Well-known member

• May 17, 2011

• #11

Not a whole lot if they don't want to hear it, aside from calling 911 and reporting them. The sad part is the child would probably have been safer with a horribly fitting adult belt than sitting in an unrestrained FF bucket.

 

hrice

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #12

mommycat said:

Not a whole lot if they don't want to hear it, aside from calling 911 and reporting them. The sad part is the child would probably have been safer with a horribly fitting adult belt than sitting in an unrestrained FF bucket.

Click to expand...

:yeahthatsad:

 

Baylor

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #13

Are there any reporting services? I would love to see some of the tax dollars going to a seat belt safety line where the first step is someone that goes and helps install a proper seat.. second report would be a ticket third involves dcf.

I don't understand why this is one area that seems to have no enforcement.

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• May 17, 2011

• #14

Baylor said:

Are there any reporting services? I would love to see some of the tax dollars going to a seat belt safety line where the first step is someone that goes and helps install a proper seat.. second report would be a ticket third involves dcf.

I don't understand why this is one area that seems to have no enforcement.

Click to expand...

Depends on the area.

Some places do have hotlines for reporting misuse, but it usually involves sending a packet of info to the house of whoever the car is registered to. They can't issue tickets without proof.

Calling the police can work depending on the situation and how seriously local law enforcement (or each individual cop) takes the situation.

Then you need to decide what warrants a 911 call, what warrants a non-emergency call, and what you let go.

 

M

Mysweethoneybee

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #15

Here in southwest Missouri I have seen little kids riding in police officers personal vehicles completely unrestrained. As in laying across the top of the back seats sort of thing. So I pretty much just hope that the kids in bad or no seats are really lucky kids. I have said things for facebook pictures, but not much comes of it. Other than expired seats which I see every day the worst car seat usage I saw was a girl about 4 or 5 years old. She was sitting in the front seat on a Cosco Scenera but the seat belt was across her like a booster seat. I looked again after the little girl got out because I thought maybe it was some highback booster I hadn't seen before but it was definitely the Scenera.

 

M

mama2girls

New member

• May 17, 2011

• #16

Why even use a seat at all?