Hey lady, are you CRAZY????

[jfulcer]

I've only got a few serious pet peeves. One of them is when parents don't buckle up their children in the car. But I saw one a few days ago that really <i>really</i> took the cake.

We're driving down 94, 70+ miles an hour. This car passes me doing about 80-85. I didn't think anything of it until we all pass a police officer parked on the side of the road. The car slowed down and I caught up with her.

It was a mom (unbuckled of course), and an infant in a carrier, in the FRONT seat, UNBUCKLED. <i><B>UNBUCKLED?????</b></i>

ARRGH! What are you THINKING lady? If you were in an accident, your infant is now a projectile! JEEEZ.

Please, everyone, buckle your children up. And don't forget your seatbelt too!

 

[Serena]

Jeff, this is one of my pet peeves too.

 

[damo]

That drives me crazy too. It really bugs me when I talk to a parent and they won't let their kids eat candy and are so concerned about their healthy diet but don't buckle up their children because the seatbelts "bother" the kids!

Another one is when you see parents smoking in a car that contains children. Makes me sooooooooo mad.

 

[Claudia1]

......or in the back of a pick-up truck, bouncing along a country road......

 

[dianeschlicht]

That is unthinkable!!! The smoking in the car thing always bothers me too. I always want to knock on their window and ask them why they don't love their child!!!

 

[browneyes]

That's a good reminder.

 

[cinmell]

I don't know what parents are thinking either. The other day I passed a minivan on the highway and in the very back of the minivan there were 2 kids playing and jumping around side to side.

 

[Baboo]

When my DH was a police officer, he used to refer to the kids on someones lap as a human airbag. It makes me very angry to see kids not belted in properly!

 

[RitaZ.]

I hear you... I see this every single day, the worst time is when I pick up my kids from school.

My kids wanted to get out of their car seats by the time they were 2 yrs old, all 3 kids tried it. The boys were more persistent than DD. They would slide/push down the plastic lock that held the seat belts in place, then the would free their upper bodies. It was a nightmare!!! I even bought a special locking clip, but they managed to get out of that, too. I had no choice, but to get a big roll of masking tape and wrap a long piece SEVERAL times around the locking clip. They tried to move it, but obviously couldn't it!! Everytime I went somewhere, I had to do this (it was a pain for me). The kids finally got the message, though!

 

[cgcw]

I'm surprised the police officer didn't notice this and pull her over. I have a van with no airbag in the front seat because we've had a switch put in to turn it off. Occassionally, being I am a home daycare provider, I will need to have a child in the front seat (in a car seat of course). There have been several times that I have been pulled over and asked why I had a child there with the air bag. Usually the police officer is surprised that I have the air bag switch. One time, the police officer didn't want to give in. He asked me if he could inspect how the seat was installed - we passed, it had been put in at one of those car seat checks. Then he proceeded to check the other car seats too - they also passed because of proper installation.

Anyway, it such a simple thing to do, I too get very angry when kids are bopping around in cars.

 

[bumcat]

There can be only two reasons for doing this:
Either a person is very ignorant or they do not love their child enough. I can't think of any other reasons.
I cringe and ask God to protect those that can't protect themselves.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I'm always astounded by this.

Years ago, I worked with a woman whose husband left her when she was pregnant with her only child. She worshiped this kid...her DD was all she had...yet she never made her wear a seat belt. Not only that, I was in the car with her one time, and the little girl kept climbing from the back seat TO THE FRONT SEAT in between us and my co-worker would lean forward to look at me while she talked...AND DROVE. Scary. Wonder whatever happened to both of them.

Recently, I needed to get a ride for my DD to her soccer game, and asked another mom, who is a nurse. She said if her husband also went to the game, there wouldn't be room in the car, but that her son (10) could sit on her lap and share her seatbelt to make room for my DD. I told her "no"...geez, if my DD can't make a soccer game, it's certainly not a crisis, but if they get in an accident, I'd hate to think of what would happen to that little boy especially.

When my DD was in first grade, she was invited to go to the movies with her friend and her friend's two OLDER sisters and their friends; 7 people in the van, including the mom (a teacher). I later found out that another little girl showed up at the house, so they took her too...and had MY DD and her friend share THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND SEATBELT. I was livid, but never said anything to the mom. What I did do tho was talk to my DD and tell her to NEVER let that happen again and to say "I have to call my mom."

Sorry...long stories...the subject just infuriates me tho.

 

[jfulcer]

The police officer was busy with the car he had pulled over.

And you know, if we thought that by calling the police, they could send someone out to catch up to her, we would have. But then we realized we would have to call 911 and really thought there might be someone who REALLY needed help besides the idiot lady who was trying to kill her kid.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who this really really irks.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I agree that stinks, and I can't stand it when I see kids that aren't buckled up.


Ok, now a question for YOU!!! 70+ on 94???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where were you??? Be careful because I have seen an INCREDIBLE increase of cops chasing speeders on the expressways around Milwaukee.

 

[PandyPaws]

As one who fell out of the car on a parkway as a child (I was 4) and lived to tell about it...this infuriates me to no end!! Granted when it happened to me, there were no child safety seats...no laws...heck, half of the cars back then didn't even HAVE seatbelts as standard equipment!!

But today, there is just no excuse for this

When older DS was in kindergarten (5 years ago) we were going on a field trip with parent volunteers driving. When one mom said she could take 5 or 6 kids in her car I was appalled, knowing she owned a small Honda. I asked her where she planned on seating them...and she said "four across the back and one or 2 in the front" She was going to put two kids in one seatbelt in the back and kids in the front with an airbag...and then get on the highway??? I spoke with the teacher in private (even though I really wanted to blow my top at this woman ) and it wasn't allowed.

I see kids jumping around in vehicles every day, it makes me so angry and sad

 

[honeywolf7]

My dad used to do the smoking in the car thing (with the windows closed.) I came very close to getting motion sickness whenever he did it. As far as the seat belt thing, you don't think there's any way she could have forgotten it do you? (not that that would be much of an excuse and it definitely wouldn't have been an excuse for putting the carrier in the front seat)

 

[binny]

well I call 911 on these people personally. I know there are other people who may be needing it too ( please dont flame me) I feel like these children are in need as well.

just MHO

 

[December99]

This also upsets me....and another thing is kids riding on parents laps IN THE FRONT SEAT!!!! And their head is like inches away from that dashboard.....and like Pandy said - it WAS allowed when we were kids but now there is just too much speed and everyone is in just too much of a hurry and it's too risky!

I NEVER use to wear my seatbelt until I had dd....it has come in handy MANY times!!!!

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by honeywolf7
As far as the seat belt thing, you don't think there's any way she could have forgotten it do you? (not that that would be much of an excuse and it definitely wouldn't have been an excuse for putting the carrier in the front seat)

The car seat was turned towards her, so she could see the child better. We originally thought there wasn't a child in the seat, but when we did the double take, sure enough, there it was. Besides, she wasn't seat belted either. We sadly said to ourselves - well, at least she'll be in heaven with her little one if they are in an accident.

Originally posted by PRINCESS VIJA
Ok, now a question for YOU!!! 70+ on 94???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where were you???

We were on 94 South (west?) just after 7 mile fair where it switches to 65. We were actually in the middle lane, and cars were whizzing by us. I normally set the cruise control to like 72 or 73, and that's about the fastest I normally go. Now, in Chicago, you go that speed and it dangerous with cars swerving around you and such. Ugh.

Originally posted by binny
well I call 911 on these people personally.

No flames here. Don't think it didn't seriously cross our minds, as we were really floored to see this. I see children bouncing around in their seats all the time, but this just took the cake.

 

[nkjzmom]

I'm in the same boat as RitaZ....my DS, 2yo....can climb out of ANYTHING!!!! There are times he climbs out while I'm driving in areas where I just can't pull over and rebuckle him and I feel so scared and also embarrassed that someone else will see him and think exactly what we all think...."What a bad mother!!!"

I'm going to have to try that tape thing!!! My other 3 kids never really tried to get out.