The Safe Transportation of Children
This must be my weekend for witnessing lousy dad behavior! Gosh am I ever lucky that my boys have the dad they do, and not some of these others.
As I was walking up to WalMart today, a car was pulling away from the store. There was a man driving, and a little boy in the front seat. The little boy couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old. It was bad enough he was in the front seat. There was also no car seat. But that's not it! The little boy did not even have a seatbelt on!
It saddens me that an adult would subject a child to such a dangerous situation. Where is the love and responsibility? Or is it just too much of a hassle to do the right thing? When it comes to a child's safety, there should never be anything that is considered too much of a hassle!
So let's get the rules out there folks...
In South Carolina, children under the age of 6 are required to sit in the back seat, unless a back seat is not available. A child under the age of 6 is also required to be in a minimum of a booster seat, unless they weigh over 80 pounds. (See http://www.buckleupsc.com/cps/laws.htm.)
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children under the age of 12 be in the back seat of the car. (See http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ncpsw.htm.)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children under the age of 12 be in the back seat of the car. (See http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/newtips/pages/Tip1.htm.)
Studies by the Partners for Child Passenger Safety have found that "for children under the age of 13, there is a significant reduction in injury risk if they are in the back seat as compared to risk in the front seat". In addition, they found that across all age groups under the age of 15, "Children in the front seat were 40 percent more likely to be injured compared to rear-seated children". (See http://www.chop.edu/traumalink/download/2005/pcps_cpsrprt_05.pdf.)
So please, restrain your child properly in the car, and keep them in the back until they are at least age 12. The experts are telling us this is necessary. We need to listen. Sure, as kids get older, they start putting on more pressure to let them sit up front. I remember doing it as a kid myself. But it is our job as adults to always do what is best for our children. And that means saying, "NO".
I don't know about you, but I love my children too much not to do what the experts say is best for their safety. It's a requirement in our house, and for anyone who transports our children.
As I was walking up to WalMart today, a car was pulling away from the store. There was a man driving, and a little boy in the front seat. The little boy couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old. It was bad enough he was in the front seat. There was also no car seat. But that's not it! The little boy did not even have a seatbelt on!
It saddens me that an adult would subject a child to such a dangerous situation. Where is the love and responsibility? Or is it just too much of a hassle to do the right thing? When it comes to a child's safety, there should never be anything that is considered too much of a hassle!
So let's get the rules out there folks...
In South Carolina, children under the age of 6 are required to sit in the back seat, unless a back seat is not available. A child under the age of 6 is also required to be in a minimum of a booster seat, unless they weigh over 80 pounds. (See http://www.buckleupsc.com/cps/laws.htm.)
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children under the age of 12 be in the back seat of the car. (See http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ncpsw.htm.)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children under the age of 12 be in the back seat of the car. (See http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/newtips/pages/Tip1.htm.)
Studies by the Partners for Child Passenger Safety have found that "for children under the age of 13, there is a significant reduction in injury risk if they are in the back seat as compared to risk in the front seat". In addition, they found that across all age groups under the age of 15, "Children in the front seat were 40 percent more likely to be injured compared to rear-seated children". (See http://www.chop.edu/traumalink/download/2005/pcps_cpsrprt_05.pdf.)
So please, restrain your child properly in the car, and keep them in the back until they are at least age 12. The experts are telling us this is necessary. We need to listen. Sure, as kids get older, they start putting on more pressure to let them sit up front. I remember doing it as a kid myself. But it is our job as adults to always do what is best for our children. And that means saying, "NO".
I don't know about you, but I love my children too much not to do what the experts say is best for their safety. It's a requirement in our house, and for anyone who transports our children.
posted by Susan | 1:53 PM
1 Comments:
Good for you! Stick to your guns. Kids are worth the effort. I can't tell you how many times when my mother inlaw has said "Well, that's fine, but my kids lived when I did it THIS way." UGH! It freaks me out when I see kids without seatbelts or baby carriers in the front seat. We have to take a class before we get married, people should have to take classes before having kids.
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