"Joe,
I am fuming right now so I decided to write to you...i'm guessing a therapy to calm down. I just came back from bringing my son to pre-school. On my return home headed south on Rt 13 in Delmar I was behind a green dodge coupe. As we pass the weight stations this little head holding a sippy cup pops up between the seats just hanging out enjoying the view. I had to double and triple check my eyes because I really didn't believe I was seeing such a young child just walking around the back seat. As we approached the light at the MSP barracks I pulled up next to the driver and now for sure saw a NO MORE THAN 2YR OLD just hanging out. I rolled down my window and asked the young driver if she had a car seat. She replied, "yeah." I responded with, "well she isn't she in it?" To which this lovely young lady answered, "She doesn't like it, and what business is it of yours?" I had plenty of responses, but I just stared at her and picked up my cell and dialed the barracks. I hope they got her as I gave them the description of her car and the tag number, but who knows. She doesn't like it? WTF? I just hope they nailed her!"
I have done the same a number of times. Police Officers LOVE it when they can catch someone breaking the law this way. It's about the CHILD. Great work!
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
OMG are you kidding me???? I guess she'll like her seat more after she's been in a car accident...if she makes it. If they pulled her over I know she'll get a huge ass ticket...but doesn't that mean she's going to arrested too? I wasn't sure of the law because I obey the law and my kids are in there appropriate seats/equipment.
ReplyDelete"She doesn't like it, and what business is it of yours?"
ReplyDeleteSort of the same attitude as the SPD have about their own use of seat belts.
I followed a woman through Seaford - 5 miles until she pulled over in Burger King, I pulled up beside her and asked her why her child (who was around 4) was just standing in the middle of the seats, with his head on her. She said, he was belted in up until a minute ago. I proceeded to explain to her that I followed her 5 miles and he was not belted in, then called the cops in front of her. She was not happy.
ReplyDeleteTurn in a$$holes like this, cause if you don't that kid is going to distract the driver and cause someone like me, get their vehicle totaled or my kids killed.
What is the penalty? Did they catch her? Unfortunately you need a license to drive the car, but just anyone can have children. Poor kid doesn't have a chance!
ReplyDelete"What business is it of yours?" Well, with attitude and ignorance like that, it is probably my tax dollars I bet!
Good for you, I hope you keep calling the cops when you see anything like this, I know I would.
ReplyDeleteThat's horrifying. I don't know what the penalty is for repeat offenders, or if there even is a stricter penalty for them at all, but I do know for first offenses there is just a (small) fine in Maryland. $45 maybe?? Also in Maryland, you not only have to have the child restrained in a safety seat, but the seat must be installed and used CORRECTLY. I don't think that Virginia and Delaware word their laws that way. You'd have to check for yourself, though. I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteFor more information, call your local health department or fire department and ask for the safety seat technician. They can not only give you the up-to-date laws and penalties, but they can install or just check your seat FOR FREE and quite literally save your child's life. Its worth the time and effort, I promise!
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ReplyDeleteI have a good one for you. Couple goes out and takes the kid who is not in a seat belt. They had a accident and fortunately no one was hurt seriously. When asked why the kid was not in the seat belt, their reply "well we didn't know we were going to have an accident when we left home" They were jailed for about 1 hour. True story. We need to be a bid tougher around here.
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ReplyDeleteWhen we get these parents straightened out about the seat belting and securing of their children, maybe we can get them to stop smoking in a closed up car with kids.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which is more dangerous.
I see this alot, and it just sickens me. Car seat safety is one of my hot points; my kid is 28months old and still rear facing in her seat because that's the SAFEST way for her to ride in the car. When I see poor/no car seat usage, I call the poice. Period. Maybe those parents will regret their choice when they see their kid being scraped off the road.
ReplyDeleteFrom DMV.org: (Sorry for the unbelievably long post, but its too important!)
ReplyDeleteMaryland's new child safety seat law went into effect on June 30, 2008. The new law requires that all children younger than eight years of age be secured in a federally approved child safety seat according to the safety seat and vehicle manufacturers' instructions, unless the child is 4 feet, 9 inches or taller, or weighs more than 65 pounds. The child restraint must be right for the child's size, age, and weight.
Child safety seats include: infant seats, convertible seats, forward-facing seats, booster seats, or other safety devices federally approved for use by children in motor vehicles.
DMV.ORG provides How To Buy a Child Safety Seat and How To Install a Child Safety Seat to help you better understand child safety seats, and Maryland's Project KISS (Kids in Safety Seats) helps families who can't purchase child safety seats. For more information, contact the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (410) 225-1376.
Proper Installation Techniques
Here, we shall discuss the three basic stages for car seats and give an overview of how to install each.
Infant Seats
All you have to do is hold your newborn baby (or anybody's baby for that matter) to get an idea that you are dealing with something fragile. Protecting and preparing an infant to endure an accident safely takes great care. The infant's head and neck are at most risk, but it doesn't take much to cause injury to any part of the body.
The idea behind the seat you buy is that if a collision does occur, the force will not be directed toward one specific area or limb, but rather evenly across the whole body. This is the same concept with adults, but all the more important in infants.
There are two types of infant seat and specific ways to get each into your vehicle in the proper manner:
Rear-facing, infant-only seats are ideal for smaller infants and preemies, but can be used for any child up to 20 or so pounds. One helpful technique to keep in mind when you are doing your best contortionist act trying to get the seat in is the inch factor.
If you can move any strap, harness, or the entire seat itself more than an inch, then you probably need to put some more elbow grease into pulling the seat belt or ensuring the straps are appropriately taut. Do this by putting a knee in the seat or finding some other way to put your weight into it. Then pull on those straps! Other tips include:
Many times this type of car seat comes with a base that a carrier latches into. This actually makes installation easier because you are dealing with a rather small piece of plastic. The base and carrier should only go in the back seat, preferably in the center area.
If your seat is naturally at an angle you will have to place a shortened swimming noodle (one of the only materials CSP has certified) to level out the base, which will need to be a 45-degree angle with the carrier installed. Some manufacturers make bases that are adjustable.
Make sure the carrier straps are tight and the harness clip is even with the baby's shoulders or armpits. Also make sure the straps are in the slot that lines up just above or closest to the infant's shoulders.
If the child is still a bit wobbly in the seat due to its size, place rolled receiving blankets or towels along each side. This provides additional support and cushion. However, do not place anything under the harness straps. Just keep it to the sides. After a couple of months this most likely will not be necessary as the infant begins to sprout and achieve some size and weight.
When the carrier is snapped into the base the handle must be placed in the down position.
Some older vehicles (especially those manufactured prior to 1997) may require the use of the locking clip. This is the piece of metal that looks like something out of Star Wars or just the letter "I" on its side. Certain vehicles do not have seat belts that lock when the brakes are slammed. Thus, the locking clip is placed into the base seat or in the back of the chair portion in other car seats through the seat belt. If the car seat begins to move forward when the brakes are depressed then the clip acts to prevent too much slippage.
Have your work checked before using the car seat.
Convertible seats are designed to grow with your child. They can be modified with each weight and age transition allowing you to only buy one car seat. Thus, when the child is an infant the seat will face the rear.
When he tips the scales at 20-plus pounds then the seat can be switched to face the front. Still, the tips listed for the infant-specific seat still apply with the convertible variety. The convertible seat generally has more gadgets and straps that aid with restraint, including a tether that comes off the back and can be latched in various places in your vehicle.
Convertible Harness Types
A firm fit is still the key no matter what phase the car seat is being used for. But convertible car seats can come equipped with one of three types (5-point, tray, and T-shield) of harness systems. Each meets the required safety standards and the choice ultimately depends on what you have read or simply your general preference.
Each has pros and cons that you will pick up in your research. Users have been satisfied with each, although anything with straps tends to get twisted over time. The best way to straighten the straps out is to literally pull them completely out of the seat and run warm water over them. This will bring them back to new and get the built-up gunk out from various snacks in the car.
The tray arm tends to restrict the child's movement more than the others and is not necessarily book- or toy-friendly. Plus, the padded arm tends to get extremely worn and dirty over time.
The T-shield has parallel straps connecting into a buckle-type apparatus between the child's legs. The one problem with this is that the buckle area can create a gap that is a little too big. It can also rub too hard against your child's legs and can cause pinching.
The Tots (From 20 to 40 pounds)
By this time, the car seat, whether designed for this age group specifically or a convertible should be facing forward. Still in the back seat, but now looking the same direction as you bring a whole new skill set into driving.
The major change most likely is going to be where the harness straps are positioned. These seats are generally held in by a seatbelt slipped through a hole in the back. The key again is to ensure less than an inch of movement from side to side and forward.
This can be more difficult, or at least it seems that way, with the bigger car seats. To combat this, car seat engineers have added anchors and tethers for additional protection. This brings us to the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system.
The LATCH System
More than just an awareness program, LATCH is actually an alternative means of installing a car seat. An astonishing number of car seats (by some estimates 80%) would fail CPS check. So this program is an attempt to curb dismal numbers by offering what some consider a simplified installation method. What does it mean? Well, now all new vehicles are equipped with seat belts plus various other mooring components.
If you have a vehicle manufactured after 2002, simply feel around the back seat until you find a couple of heavy metal latches. These are designed to hold the anchors and tethers that come with the new car seats. Thus, you can now hook a car seat into the back of a vehicle without utilizing the seat belts. But all the other aspects of securing the seat still apply, mainly ensuring the straps are all nice and taut and that the seat does not move about.
Hey, I Am a Big Kid (40 pounds plus or four to eight years of age and beyond)
Once a child starts topping out at the maximum weights listed for the toddler car seats, they are still not out of the water. One misconception many parents have is that when a kid is pushing 50 pounds they no longer need the car seat. While this is technically true, it does not mean they can sit like an adult and simply use the seat belt. Studies have shown that this time period is exceptionally vulnerable for children and that many perish in accidents where they were in a seat belt, but lacked any other type of safety aid.
Once the car seat is gone, it needs to be replaced with a booster seat. There are a couple of types. The regular booster seat looks like a seat cushion you would take to a baseball game. But it helps prop the child to a better height and a standard seat belt is set in the correct place across their body. New cars generally have adjustable shoulder belts to guarantee the right fit, but if yours doesn't, you may need to purchase some an adaptor. Consult with a CPS beforehand, because some of these modifications carry a bit of controversy.
The second type of booster comes with a high back. It almost looks like a cockpit seat on an airplane, which might help you to convince your child that, yes indeed, these things are cool. These chairs can be strapped in like a regular car seat and come with a harnessing system so you do not need to worry about head damage from the seatbelt in the event of an accident.
stupidity breeds stupidity, why bother.
ReplyDeleteI work at a business in Salisbury that has a drive thru and when ever someone comes thru with children not restrained you better believe I call the police. (And for some reason I always run into a little problem and have to take a little longer while waiting on them.) :)
ReplyDeleteand driving down the road talking on your cell phone distracts from paying attention to the road. placing everybody in danger.
ReplyDeletei grew up before "No Fault" insurance, when blame for accidents was put on whoevr was at fault. this reflected in points on driving license and removed drivers who were too busy to watch the road and traffic. and there were no seatbelts, and i remember riding in back window of full car on the way to church. damn, how did i live this long
More Nanny laws. Everyone over 30 years old grew up driving like this as a kid. Now we have citizens acting like Big Brother and calling the cops on people. Sacrificing liberty in the name of security is not an agenda I agree with.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't give me the "my tax dollars pay for these idiots when they crash" excuse. The person at fault pays.
Cabs don't have car seats~! There are violations everywhere.
ReplyDeleteDo you guys really care about random rednecks kids? Get something more important to do.
ReplyDeleteStep back and let Darwin do his work here.
ReplyDeleteTrue story: recently, a family friend, his wife and their 4 month old baby were in a rear-end crash. The car was totalled, Mom was injured some, Dad had torn muscles and ligaments, but the baby, who was properly secured in her child safety seat, in the back seat and facing backwards, was completely unharmed. Now if they had done it Britney-style, the deployment of the airbags would most likely have killed the baby.
ReplyDelete