I have seen a lot but I have never seen what I saw today.

ajnashmom · Sep 15, 2007

I have seen kids in adult seat belts too early, I have seen kids bouncing around in the back seat with no belt, I have seen kids in the back of a pickup, I have seen kids riding on a lap in the front seat and today for the first and I hope last time I saw this....

I was at Walgreens getting some stuff and the man in front of me was holding his 3"ish or 4"ish" year old little girl. She was sleeping on his shoulder. He paid and off he went. After I paid I went to my car and I see this man who was driving an older model Ford truck and he was holding the little girl while driving!!!

I just wish I could have gotten his plate number. What the heck is he thinking!

Patriot201 · Sep 15, 2007

:hitselfonhead::hitselfonhead::hitselfonhead:

Jordynsmama · Sep 15, 2007

Where do you live. If it is the south I wouldnt be surprised. If its Ca or somewhere more progressive I would be. ppl are nuts.

ajnashmom · Sep 15, 2007

Arizona...

mommyto4 · Sep 15, 2007

Some people just don't think. This kind of stuff makes me so mad and confused. I just don't get it.

safeinthecar · Sep 15, 2007

Unfortunately I saw this just yesterday. They were parked next to me, I said you know that's very dangerous, and waved vaguely at the kid on his lap. His response, "yeah I know, someone could get their eye poked out."

???WTH???

Kimberly

Patriot201 · Sep 15, 2007

Jordynsmama said:
Where do you live. If it is the south I wouldnt be surprised. If its Ca or somewhere more progressive I would be.

I live in the South and am very well educated about vehicular safety, as are most of the people around me. Sure, there are some people who do stupid things here, but I would say the VAST majority of people are good about seatbelt and carseat use, as well as other elements of vehicular safety.

I think making generalizations about geographic areas is unfair.

I am sure that there are people in the South who would do things like that, but I am sure there are also people in the North, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West (including California).

TN Mary · Sep 15, 2007

I was leaving WalMart one time and looked over at the van parked next to mine.

This family rode off with the mom holding the baby in her lap... and YES, they had an infant seat... but it had GROCERIES IN IT!

MsFacetious · Sep 15, 2007

Yep I was at an intersection one day and saw a lady turn in front of me with her toddler on her lap in a new minivan. Can you say airbag!

Jeanum · Sep 16, 2007

Patriot20171 said:
I live in the South and am very well educated about vehicular safety, as are most of the people around me. Sure, there are some people who do stupid things here, but I would say the VAST majority of people are good about seatbelt and carseat use, as well as other elements of vehicular safety.

I think making generalizations about geographic areas is unfair. I am sure that there are people in the South who would do things like that, but I am sure there are also people in the North, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West (including California).

:yeahthat: I live in a dual college town area that's fairly affluent with "progressively" minded folks, some of whom are highly educated out the wazoo, yet carseat misuse/non-use is still pretty rampant. I was at Ikea yesterday and saw several awful examples of misuse in the parking lot where apparently hauling boxes of ready to assemble furniture took precedent over making sure everyone is safely buckled up in their vehicle.

Misuse is pretty universal across the board, unfortunately, and characterizing it by a particular region or state is counter-productive. Let's work to reduce misuse and help educate parents/caregivers about proper usage, and avoid potentially offending those who come here for help by making sweeping generalizations about their regions or states. :twocents:

(I'm heading off to Ikea again today, hoping I don't see more of what I saw there yesterday.

)

lovinwaves · Sep 16, 2007

Patriot20171 said:
but I am sure there are also people in the North, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West (including California).

Yep, the Midwest FOR SURE!!

cheerbop · Sep 16, 2007

lovinwaves said:
Yep, the Midwest FOR SURE!!

Yep! I can 2nd the Midwest thing.

elle7715 · Sep 16, 2007

I saw an 18 month old in a regular seatbelt yesterday. We went for ice cream and the car pulled up next to us. The mom, dad, and two older kids hopped out. Then she reached in for the toddler. I didn't even know there WAS another kid in there until she lifted him out. Where are people's brains? We're in MI and the current law is 4/40 here. But taking kids out of car seats at 2 or earlier is VERY common here. A lot of what you guys see and post about (young babies FFing, teeny kids in the front seat, toddlers in no seats) I see every single day. We live in an very 'progressive' area. Most of the people are well educated. We're 15 minutes from a university and Chrysler headquarters. The people that pulled up next to us were in designer label clothes and a nice car. A college degree and good income doesn't guarantee common sense.

beebear23 · Sep 16, 2007

I used to nanny for a lady who did that.

She was also driving 120 MPH w/me in the car and w/her 4 year old LAYING ACROSS THE BACKSEAT. Oh wait, no, not across the backseat. She had laid down the backseat of her 2-door Cavilier and the little girl was laying on that.

And in Baltimore once I saw a man driving w/his young toddler in his lap, in traffic.

Patriot201 · Sep 16, 2007

Jeanum said:
Misuse is pretty universal across the board, unfortunately, and characterizing it by a particular region or state is counter-productive. Let's work to reduce misuse and help educate parents/caregivers about proper usage, and avoid potentially offending those who come here for help by making sweeping generalizations about their regions or states. :twocents:

lovinwaves said:
Yep, the Midwest FOR SURE!!

cheerbop said:
Yep! I can 2nd the Midwest thing.

elle7715 said:
We live in an very 'progressive' area. Most of the people are well educated. We're 15 minutes from a university and Chrysler headquarters. The people that pulled up next to us were in designer label clothes and a nice car. A college degree and good income doesn't guarantee common sense.

Thanks everyone!

3acorns4Christy · Sep 16, 2007

One of my neighbors thinks its funny to let his 15mo sit on his lap and help him drive, he does have a carseat but it is installed way wrong but the parents refuse to listen

brightredmtn · Sep 16, 2007

Patriot20171 said:
I live in the South and am very well educated about vehicular safety, as are most of the people around me. Sure, there are some people who do stupid things here, but I would say the VAST majority of people are good about seatbelt and carseat use, as well as other elements of vehicular safety.

I think making generalizations about geographic areas is unfair. I am sure that there are people in the South who would do things like that, but I am sure there are also people in the North, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West (including California).

I live in Los Angeles (doesn't get much more progressive than that) and a few months ago I saw an SUV on the freeway with a 2 year old sitting on the driver's lap. I called the CHP.

Defrost · Sep 16, 2007

safeinthecar@mac.com said:
His response, "yeah I know, someone could get their eye poked out."

???WTH???

This sounds familiar...

Many members of my extended family hold to the belief that "When it's your time to go, it's your time to go." "Might poke an eye out," sounds like a similar philosphy. Basically, it's their excuse for not going out of their way or inconveniencing themselves in any way to prevent injuries or fatalities. Because, after all, if G*d wants them to die, they will die no matter what they do. They can buckle their child into a carseat and then the child will die of a brain tumor. Or they can NOT buckle their child at all, get in a horrible wreck, but the child will miraculously survive because it's "not their time to go."

Jordynsmama · Sep 16, 2007

brightredmtn said:
I live in Los Angeles (doesn't get much more progressive than that) and a few months ago I saw an SUV on the freeway with a 2 year old sitting on the driver's lap. I called the CHP.

Wow yeah LA is pretty progressive and I am shocked you saw that there!

lol.
j/k

Jordynsmama · Sep 16, 2007

I live in the South and am very well educated about vehicular safety, as are most of the people around me. Sure, there are some people who do stupid things here, but I would say the VAST majority of people are good about seatbelt and carseat use, as well as other elements of vehicular safety.

I think making generalizations about geographic areas is unfair. I am sure that there are people in the South who would do things like that, but I am sure there are also people in the North, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West (including California).

We live in an very 'progressive' area. Most of the people are well educated. We're 15 minutes from a university and Chrysler headquarters. The people that pulled up next to us were in designer label clothes and a nice car. A college degree and good income doesn't guarantee common sense.

Misuse is pretty universal across the board, unfortunately, and characterizing it by a particular region or state is counter-productive. Let's work to reduce misuse and help educate parents/caregivers about proper usage, and avoid potentially offending those who come here for help by making sweeping generalizations about their regions or states

Thanks everyone for clarifying. I needed that. I think I was being judgmental again. When will I learn?

ETA: Btw I never meant "all people from the south are stupid and uneducated and are clueless about cps."

I have seen a lot but I have never seen what I saw today.

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