I was a tattletale today--called 911...

[Lisa loves Pooh]

...On some idiot who thought it was to place his two obviously too short for the front seat beautiful girls....in the front passenger seat of a mini van. They were sharing one seatbelt. And the kicker--he was driving with the slider door open. My AC is broken too--but a convertable does not a mini-van make. The cherry on top was that there was a car seat in the middle of the 2nd row--but probably for an infant who thankfully wasn't riding with them.

Based on a thread of this topic in the last week or two...as he pulled across the street into a gas station, I decided to pull over and call 911. Then since I had nothing else better to do and there was plenty of traffic to protect me from any road rage, I followed him.

The guy was pulled over by two police officers.

No idea what happens to him at that point. Mostly--I hope the girls got home safely and he never endangers his children again.

Thank you whoever posted that initial thread--I never knew it was okay to call 911 before for this.

 

[Tracey1974]

Good for you! I'd have done the same thing.

 

[halestrm]

I don't know why the Idiots continue to amaze me, but they do. HOW do some people survive long enough to breed is beyond me. Poor girls.

You done right!

 

[kidshop]

Awesome job!

I have a good friend who IS a policeman who drives his 2 boys (1 1/2 and 2 1/2) in the front seat in one seatbelt. I found out after he was already home or I *would* have called the cops on him , though it would have done no good, since they 'take care' of each other. They have perfectly good carseats in their van, but he likes to drive the truck. I sort of dislike him now. I hope his kids never have to pay the price for his negligence. You did a good thing.

 

[lynetteSC]

good job! this is one thing that really makes me mad! it is one thing when a person is of age and mindset to choose not to use a seatbelt or car seat, but when the innocent who can't decide have that choice made for them! ugh .....

there is a lady who picks up and drops off her child at the parent's monrning out when I leave my ds ... anyway, she leaves BOTH of her other kids in the car and leaves the window DOWN while she goes in and drops off or picks up her son .... ugh! I know it is a church parking lot, but come on! the other day I spotted her doing the same thing at a local consignment store while she was dropping off her merchandise!

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Good for you! Nothing upsets police officers more than a child being in danger.

Interestingly enough, I was at a breakfast this morning where Don Carey (MPD's police chief) spoke and said the best way to support law enforcement is to let them know what is going on.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I called 911 awhile back because there was a packed Expedition flying down the freeway in heavy traffic (at least going 80) with a preschooler sitting on mom's lap in the front seat.

Good for you!

 

[cepmom]

I have often thought of doing this....but I have never seen two young children both in the front seat! What an idiot!

I usually see a mom at school picking up her two daughters. She drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee with no car seats in it. There are 3 girls all together; the oldest in 1st grade, the middle in kindergarten and the youngest is about 3ish. The other day the youngest girl was riding in the front seat, with the seat belt on, but the shoulder part behind her so only the lap part was on her body. The other two girls got in the back and proceded to kneel on the seats and hang out of the windows as mom drove off. What is it with people not caring about their children's safety?? I have seen this mom at parent/child events around town and she is very good/caring with her children so I know she cares about them. Are people really that dumb that they don't know about car seat safety? I just don't get it.

 

[lulugirl]

Good for you. It makes me nuts when I see things like that, you would think it was common sense wouldn't you?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Good for you! Nothing upsets police officers more than a child being in danger.

Interestingly enough, I was at a breakfast this morning where Don Carey (MPD's police chief) spoke and said the best way to support law enforcement is to let them know what is going on.

Thanks for that. I kept apologizing on the phone for bothering them with the call.

And then, the funny part--the guy figured out I was following him--must have been my not so subtle side by side action in the school zone to give 911 the plate number. Got half-way and then started passing him while on the phone saying--"what was I thinking???" Then he turned on Eau Gallie and since I turned he sped up. 911 tells me where the cops are....and I'm saying on the phone---"gotta watch my speed so I don't get pulled over." .

Does your hubby happen to know what they do once pulled over. Does the guy have to call someone to bring boosters or something?

Also--you can't drive with the van door open, can you?

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Good for you!

What really gets my panties in a wad is people who do not seatbelt their children in, but wear a seatbelt themselves! What are they thinking? Their life is important, but not the lives of their children?

 

[disneymom3]

Good job Lisa! Maybe this will be a lesson learned and this idiot will get a clue!

 

[Freyja]

I applaud you for doing that. I do not hesitate to call the cops when I see something like that and I´m glad that there are others that act the same way.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Thanks for that. I kept apologizing on the phone for bothering them with the call.

And then, the funny part--the guy figured out I was following him--must have been my not so subtle side by side action in the school zone to give 911 the plate number. Got half-way and then started passing him while on the phone saying--"what was I thinking???" Then he turned on Eau Gallie and since I turned he sped up. 911 tells me where the cops are....and I'm saying on the phone---"gotta watch my speed so I don't get pulled over." .

Does your hubby happen to know what they do once pulled over. Does the guy have to call someone to bring boosters or something?

Also--you can't drive with the van door open, can you?

Lisa, I'll ask him tonight.

 

[tmq2766]

Good for you........ Seeing stuff like that just ticks me off..... Hopefully he got fined enough that he'll never do something that STUPID again!

 

[laurie31]

Good for you!

What really gets my panties in a wad is people who do not seatbelt their children in, but wear a seatbelt themselves! What are they thinking? Their life is important, but not the lives of their children?

The reverse also happens. I took care of a little girl who was properly restrained in a car seat in the back. Her dad didn't bother with his own seat belt. When they wrecked, the vehicle rolled and he was ejected out HER window and she had a skull fracture from where his body hit her on the way out. Then the vehicle rolled over onto him and he died on the scene It took two hours to extricate his body so they could get ID and figure out who he was, so we could get in touch with the mom. The coronor and an officer went to tell her in person. I can't imagine going to answer the door and finding the coronor and the police standing on my porch. The poor woman and the little girl kept asking for her daddy.

The OP wasn't a tattletale- a tattletale is someone who tells to get attention, not someone who tells to save a life! Sharing a seatbelt! Oh, I shudder! How absolutely awful!

Laurie

 

[Beth76]

Thanks for sharing this. I didn't really know that we could call 911 for this either. A while back I saw a pickup truck that had 3 adults sitting in the front seat and one of them was holding a baby on her lap. I was stunned.

 

[Beauty]

Good for you!!

 

[lookingforward]

I think you did a wonderful thing by calling 911. I work as a police department victims advocate and routinely have to provide death notifications to families . It is a horrible time for all involved and one surviving family member I had to notify (her son died in a car accident) called me later to thank me. She said a lot of things and shared many wonderful memories of her son with me but the words I most remember was when she said..."when you knocked at my door my life was forever cut in half, it will forever be before my son died and after. I keep closing my eyes trying to wish that day away, I wish I had never woken up that day but it started as a morning like any other..a normal day that changed everything"

By calling 911 you may have prevented the mother of those children the same pain.

 

[Meezers]

You go Girl!

I take these calls and thank goodness I work in a small enough department where we can catch these guys the majority of the time.

If the children required booster seats or child seats a vehicle would have had to be brought to the scene to transport the children. The driver is then written citations for the seatbelt violation...or possible endangering the life of a child. If the driver failed the attitude test...off to jail I would think (I hope!)

You did the right thing....especially if you had accurate information...which is a problem most of the time. Thank you!