Never forget to buckle up!

I wish people would catch a wake up! On the roads in SA today its almost a certainty that you will be involved in an accident some or other time. Its not something you can avoid by being a good driver, its also not something you can plan for - hence its called an ACCIDENT!!!

I hate seeing kids loose in a car, and I am hated by a lot of family and friends for making a fuss when they get into the car without buckling up their kids. But like you said RM the guilt drives you insane if you don't say anything.

I have one friend who wouldn't even highlight her hair or eat a block of feta cheese while she was pregnant for fear that it could harm her baby. Yet if they are going somewhere, she sits in the back and when its the LO is difficult or hungry, she takes him out of his chair and breastfeeds him. I have explained to her that I see this as child abuse as that child can die or be disabled for life!

@Joli - sorry about your sister's son, it is horrible that things like this must happen!!

The other thing people don't realize is that airbags are not made for children - if you hold a baby on the front seat and the airbag goes off the baby is dead.

I am so with you RM - I hate having to watch someone I know drive off without strapping their child in.

My SIL came to visit a while ago and her daughter had just learnt to walk, so was still really wobbly. Anyway she climbs into her VW Combi, and plonks her daughter BETWEEN the 2 front seats (where the gears are, straps herself in and drives off.

I actually turned away and could not watch ! She just needed to brake slightly hard and that child's head would smash into the dash...I don't know hey........

Last weekend we had our cousin visit us with her three kids - all under 5.

I watched as they got into the car at the end of the visit - two little boys in the back seat, no seat belts, and dad in the front holding the youngest - she is about 20 months.

The problem with these situations is that you are damned if you say something and damned if you don't.

If you say something it NEVER goes down well, if you don't, then you are wracked with guilt as you watch this car drive away.

I seriously do not understand what goes through a parent's head ... maybe they should pop along to Red Cross Children's Hospital and hang around in the ER admittance area and see the state that some of those kids arrive in after being in a car accident where no restraints were in place ....

I really wish there was a particular horrific-make-you-vomit-because-the-images-are-so-awful advertising campaign regarding the risks of not strapping up your kids that ran on televsion and bill boards and changed the way people think ...

I also see that a lot!! Saw a LB sitting on his mothers lap holdong the steering wheel! THought it was a drunk driver the way the car was swerving untill I saw the LB! Hooted at them and I got a "vuil kyk" like I'm in the wrong!!

RM I think its a case of "It will never happen to me!"
Until it does!
Then its too late!

I also see that a lot!! Saw a LB sitting on his mothers lap holdong the steering wheel! THought it was a drunk driver the way the car was swerving untill I saw the LB! Hooted at them and I got a "vuil kyk" like I'm in the wrong!!

RM I think its a case of "It will never happen to me!"
Until it does!
Then its too late!

Yes I also just don't get it. And every weekend people bring their precious newborns for photo shoots, with mom in the back of the car holding the baby or the baby in a carry cot on the back seat! It's hard to just keep quiet. I've got family members and friends who ask me why I STILL strap my 7 year old in as surely she's big enough now. I've had people that can't understand why I can't take my kids out of their carseats so they can get a lift witih us! We've now bought a bigger car as baby nr. 3 is on the way and a 3rd carseat wouldn't fit.

My sister's son died in a car accident a couple of years ago. He was 3 years old and died a day before Christmas. It was a horrible time for our family. Stefan was in his carseat but wasn't buckled in. The car rolled several times (the 18 months old girl was in front on my sister's lap and she went through the windscreen but survived). He fell out of the car and then landed on a broken Coke bottle which went into the back of his head and the car then on top of him.