I’m on the road a lot and… Ok, i lied. i’m not on the road a lot. But whenever i’m on the road, i see, and its getting all too often, kids on the laps of their mums(or whoever) in the front seat of a moving car. I don’t understand why people don’t realize that this seemingly ordinary act is highly dangerous for the child. Is it that they want the child to have a clear view of the passing scenery or they just feel carrying the child is the safe way to go for that child? Its pure recklessness, i say! I have tried to caution some people but they had no idea what i was saying ..or what i was doing with my hands. They must’ve thought “what is wrong with this one?
I recall that that was what Britney Spears got in trouble for sometime ago.
Your child, in front of a dashboard, a sitting duck for when the driver slams on the brakes to avoid traffic or a pothole and gbam! headfirst into the car. You reject it IJN abi? Ok o.
Even worse are kids left to sit or stand in the front seat. Madness!
Many parents would say their kids are too small for seat belts and that’s why they have to carry them. Well that’s what they’ve got the child car seats(Booster seats and/or Child restraints) for. And funny enough, those things are now common in the market. Not tomato market o, i mean shops, supermarket and malls.
They should go buy them and save their kids, and themselves, a head trauma.
And when these kids are old enough, they can wear seat belts.
When are kids old enough for car seats?
Kids can start wearing a regular seat belt when they can easily rest their back against the seat of the car and bend their knees over the edge of the seat. Usually, this happens when kids are between 8 and 12 years old and around 4 feet 9 inches tall. They shouldn’t be let to sit at the back, playing around unstrapped.
Because kids do exactly what their parents(adults) do, when adults use seat belts, kids will use seat belts. So as adults, we should show good example and belt up whenever we’re in the car(not only when close to a LASTMA checkpoint) even if its a short ride. We should teach them the importance of using seat belts. Its for everyone’s safety, and most importantly, our kid’s.
And yea, the shoulder strap should go across the chest and shoulder, and not go beneath the child’s arm or behind the back. And never never across the neck o, otherwise you’ve turned it into a hangers noose.
Learn!
If i catch another family with a kid in the front, i’ll stop them and yell at them complete with hand gestures. They just might ask “what is wrong with this one? again but atleast they’ll learn.
Pass this around so i don’t have to overreact in public.
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