News New European research - kids should RF up till four years

Adventuredad

New member
So many good ideas and opinions.:thumbsup:

i think its ridiculous i can legally (not safely) travel with my 3 yr old in a car seatbelt in one state howevewr the next state my child under 6 needs to be in a child restraint, then i can go teo more states and my chuld needs to be 8yr 80 lbs or whatever.

I think government is sending very conflicting messages regarding child safety. It's also dificul to know what applies a one travels to other places. I'm sure most of us keep our kids very safe regardless of sate but we're not the norm. IMHO, it would be much more effective and simple to have one law for the whole country. States are different from each other but differences are not that large.:twocents:

i also have to say i agree with the thought that the US is too lax in its child restraint laws.

You're probably right although this area is very confusing to me. One would think tough laws and good enforcement to be important which is why the situation in Sweden really makes me think about this. The law here is very lax but safety is still outstanding:confused:

The law says:

--- Everyone in the car must use a seat belt

--- Anyone under 135 cm (53 inches) must use some kind of safety seat such as car seat, booster, infant chair, etc.

--- Children under 3 years old are not allowed to be transported in a vehicle without a car seat unless in temporary situation, like a cab ride.

There are no laws about rf to a certain age, enforcement is lax since we don't have many cops, and fines are about $300 if you're caught (which would be very unusual). Punishment in an accident where your child died for not being restrained or improperly restrained is very lax and I doubt nothing would happen unless things were done deliberatly.

This is what's so confusing to me, everything about car seat safety here seems lax but the safety record is still great. Car seat safety is basically up to parents here and they do a fine job IMHO. Is this a good idea? Should we put more responsibility on parents? Thoughts, opinions, or views on this? The approach of having parents in charge is clearly working here, would it work in other places? If the answer is no, why not?:confused:

True enough. However, one situation I feel needs to be addressed, regardless of parenting and/or the child's ability to follow directions, is the fact that children of this age still frequently fall asleep in the car.

Good point. My son falls asleep all the time in his belt positioning booster and it works fine. We've got a Volvo V 70 and a Britax Monarch. He doesn't fall forward and he's a heavy sleeper. Maybe we've just gotten lucky with him and the angle of he seat? I would also be concerned if he was constantly falling forward.

Have to say that I love your new siggy. ... and I mean that as a compliment. You do tend to grow on people once they get past the smugness.

LOL, I wish I wasn't so annoying but I guess admitting the problem is the first step in the 12 step program towards becoming less annoying:whistle:
 
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wow that shocking for swedens laws to be so lax and still have a great safety rating. i think it boils down to the mindset of the parents. obviously although the laws aren't "strict" the swedish tend to follow them and take the extra step. not so much here in the US
in the city i live in you could have a nauitlus that said "garenteed to save your kids life in a crash" on the box and a price tag of $100. and if you put that cosco high back next to it in pink with that tag that says "20 to 100lbs" and a price of $40. 9 out of 10 parents are walking out with that cosco seat...will throw out the box and manual in the parking lot and that child will sit in that harness until they are 100lbs or the parent gets to LAZY to buckle it.
if the US would step up and change these marketing tricks...people would look harder and research there purchase. finding out more information. i know if i am going to spend 100 on a seat i'm going to check the internet for reviews on that seat. and reviews would lead people to sites like this where they could be educated so before they threw that 1 yr old ff in the cosco they might think again.
i got an idea last night. here in the US they do that enforcer thing where they put you in that seat and put the seatbelt on and crash you at a mild speed to show you how it would feel. (they do them before high school proms and graduations...to show kids not to speed or drink and drive) i think they should do them at parenting classes and fairs except use the crash test dummy in a ff seat and then another in a rf seat and let people see IRL the difference of those two dummies in movement. I think seeing is believeing here....parents are in denial that these accidents happen and that could be your kid
 

Adventuredad

New member
Funny you should mention that crash test thing.... I think it's a great idea. It's the only thing that has made my wife really consious of car and car seat safety. My constant nagging has done little to change her mind:whistle:

My wife (Mexican) has had special permission to use her license here during the past 5 years and now decided to qualify for a Swedish license. People from many countires, unless temporary visitors, are not allowed to use their licenses here due to the drivers ed being.... well crap. Among them US, Canada, and of course the whole South America. In many countries it's enough to have a heart beat to get a license here. Here it's a "pain in the butt" to quote some of my foreign friends.

A new license for a 18 year old costs roughly $2000-3000 and requires driving lessons, theory test, and a special safety course. The theory exam requires hard studying for a few days and many fail. Before performing a driving exam with an instructor , the safety course must be taken. It costs $250 and takes half a day. My wife recently went through it and I was with her filming (and laughing).

The day is spent with some light theory, driving, and real life examples of crashes and accidents. Driving is done with Audi A3's and takes about two hours. People get to drive almost the whole time at a variety of different speeds and surfaces. From dry asphalt to icy conditions. It's really interesting stuff to see and go through. The very first thing is to drive staight ahead at 50 mph and hit the brakes as hard as possible. Then the same thing is done in different conditions to see the difference.
Everyone is also required to drive at different speeds and do a fast manouver, simluating a child or moose running out into the street. The instructor tells everyone to drive at their own speed, estimating how fast they can drive and still stay clear of a child running into the street. It's also done in icy conditions. Very educational (and scary to see).

After the driving, the group meets in a warehouse where some crashed cars can be seen and studied. The instructor talks about everything in a fun and interesting way. Everyone also gets to sit in a car which is flipped upside down. Makes you REALLY want to use the seatbelt...... A crash is also done on a sled at about 3 mph. It's far from pleasant even at that low speed.

Overall I would rate this experience extremely helpful in understanding some basic safety. Most of it is not about children in cars but it's often mentioned and many of the same theories applies.

Sorry about the boring rant
 

CDNTech

Senior Community Member
Sorry about the boring rant

Not boring at all... I would bet anything that *this* is exactly why your laws can be so lax. People *understand* exactly what driving a vehicle is about because of the rules to get a license.

When you understand and have been through all of that, you generally appreciate that it is a privilege to drive, not a right... and that a vehicle can turn into a weapon in an instant.

How could you not be safety conscious after that? :)
 
exactly its not a boring rant. its great. here is the US i think drivers ed is a joke. here in connecitcut they are constatntly changing the laws to get a license teenage drivers. insted of showing them consequences they just delay getting the license. when i was 15 you were ableto get your permit at 15 license the day you turned 16. then they changed it to 16 to get your permit and then 6 months later could get a license. then a bunch of others now they have it you have to 16 to get a permit. then 1.5 to get a license. then for the first 6 months you can only drive with a licensed driver over 21 and no passengers. then after that for another 6 months or something you are able to transport only family members. honestly its getting out of control the only good thing is they are immediatley impounding cars of kids who break the law...but i have a feeling they are as lax in that as they are in using child restraints. i think that having kids ad adults drive in different conditions and doing those "simple" tass you said would change a lto of peoples minds on speeding. i don't hthink i can ever pick up a monday morning paper where there isn't some article where a teenager or young adult has died over the weekend from an accident invovling excessive speed. the copsshould stop ticketing for license plate covers and loud music and tinted windows and instead try ticketing for things that actually impact a life directly..(loud music could as a distraction but i'm looking at people who throw young kids in the back seat and go).
oh just a rant what is with teenagers texting and driving do you have that problem over there adventuredad.
 

Adventuredad

New member
oh just a rant what is with teenagers texting and driving do you have that problem over there adventuredad.

Sure do, although I humbly think the problem is with adults as well. Far more people here use the phone as a real tool and texting is soooo popular. I personally think it's stupid we don't have a law against this over here. It's not a good idea to talk on the phone or text but we still accept it.
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I would rate this experience extremely helpful in understanding some basic safety. Most of it is not about children in cars but it's often mentioned and many of the same theories applies.

I think this may be the real reason behind Sweden's safety record. Not only are you generating better drivers, but drivers who better understand what can happen when things go wrong. People who understand the true dangers of driving would be more apt to take better precautions (not only in driving style, but in passenger safety.)
 

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