I’m quite shocked as I drive around town just how many parents have their kids running wild in the car, particularly when the parents themselves are strapped in. Aside from the fact that it is illegal, and if your child does die in an accident where they were not strapped in you are legally up for manslaughter, yes, aside from this, it seems counterintuitive to me that parents would buckle up themselves and not think to look out for the safety of their precious offspring.
For a while, I drove around with a sign in my back window that said, “Do you love your child? Then why are they not wearing a seatbelt?”
When I’ve actually confronted people about this, the most common reason they give is that the kids don’t like wearing a seatbelt or being in a car chair and that they scream or have tantrums and they just can’t deal with it every time they get in the car.
And I can totally relate. My own kids went through a phase of screaming when being strapped in (and sometimes for the entire journey) and when you’re sleep deprived and overworked this can be too much for your frazzled nerves to handle. And I still say…
You are the parent, and there are times that you need to put your foot down. There are going to be many more moments in your parenting journey where your kids will not be happy with the decisions that you make, and the sooner they understand that you are the parent and it is your job to keep them safe whether they like that or not, the better.
I love negotiating with my kids and teaching them how to make a strong argument for things that they would like changed. However, some rules are simply non-negotiable. And safety needs to be non-negotiable.
I promise you that they will not scream every time they get strapped in for the rest of their lives. They will do it a couple of times and once they realize that it is a non-negotiable and that you are not going to be swayed by tantrums, they will stop.
If you need some incentive to actually enforce this life-saving safety routine, here is some shocking, but essential information from the Child Accident Prevention Foundation:
- Passenger deaths in children are the 4th leading cause of unnatural deaths in South Africa, and that’s not even looking at paralysis, disabilities or other injuries.
- An adult is guilty of a criminal offence if he/she should allow a child younger than 14 years to travel unrestrained in a motor vehicle. That’s a criminal offence, not a traffic fine.
- At 25km/hour a child sitting or standing next to the driver can be killed in an emergency stop if its head hits the windscreen/interior of the car. Yes, you read that correctly – 25km/hour.
- At 40km/hour the blow to a child’s head is the same as dropping him/her from 6 meters onto concrete. We are not talking about speeding down the highway to Durban here – we’re talking trips down the road to school.
Please, please rethink the safety of your incredible, beautiful, awesome children and buckle up. The discomfort you’ll have to deal with when they have those few tantrums in the car is nothing compared to the suffering you’ll endure if your child is killed or disabled because you didn’t want to insist on safety first. We can all save lives, and it starts with our own kids… after all, aren’t the lives you created the ones you’d most like to save?!
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8 Responses
Hi Mia,
Thank you for your post – this is still such a concern for many of us. Your information is spot on, and statistics are quite shocking. Even though the law has changed, many parents are still allowing their children to travel in a vehicle, unrestrained. It only takes 5 seconds to buckle up your child.
dotsure.co.za is committed to keeping children safe which is why we have joined forces with NGO Wheel Well. One bad decision could cause a lifetime of pain. Being in the car-insurance arena, this cause is very close to us. We’ve heard some heart-wrenching stories of avoidable injury and loss of life and we want to help prevent more incidents wherever possible. We launched our Car Seat Cause during Child Passenger Safety Week in September 2015, in an effort to save lives.
On Wednesday 24 February, we will kick-off our first series of educational school talks for this year (2016). These talks will be held at various Primary Schools. Not only will teachers and learners be educated on the new legislation, but they will also be the reminded of the importance of buckling up. Should you or any of your readers wish to hear more about this school talk, please feel free to contact us – we will gladly assist and we look forward to addressing more and more learners about this serious matter, with our fun presentation.
Thank You. Its unbelievable how many parents don't strap their precious cargo in. I have told many parents on the road to strap their little one in, and I don't care what they think of me. My two little girls know that the first thing that is done in the car is their seatbelt is pout on, or else we don't go anywhere. And for the parents who let their little ones sit on their laps in the front seat is another story, and then let their kids stand with their head out of the sunroof..i get so mad
Great article! I wish we could fine parents / drivers who do not buckle their children up and who let their young toddlers sit in the front seat. 4aKid Safety Harness has really made me feel more comfortable about normal car seat belts… they are inexpensive and fit onto any car seat belt. They protect the child's neck and the seat belt sits neatly and comfortably across the child's chest instead. A must have for any parent traveling with precious cargo!!
School buses and taxis should have seatbelts too!
I absolutely agree Mia, I often see parents driving around with their kids not strapped in and THEY have their seatbelts buckled!! Makes no sense whatsoever.
Wonderful article and totally agree. When my two were little, it was much easier, cos all you did is strap them into the carseat yourself. As they get older, it is definitely much more difficult, but as you said, we are the parent! I do not drive until seatbelts are on! My husband will stop the car until seatbelts are re-buckled, should they feel the need to unbuckle themselves. It is a non-negotiable rule, like brushing your teeth before bedtime ……
Totally agree. It is shocking and sad. As much as Rowan hates been strapped in he has no choice even if it means him screaming from home to school and so on.
Good to know