To have judged this woman and told her so?

[RattleAndRoll]

I'll set the scene.

Macdonalds drive though. (I know, I know).

Two places to order at the microphone/speaker place then you filter into one lane to pay at one window & then collect at another.

Car filtering in front of us contains female driver on mobile phone. Child on front seat unrestrained (aged about 3 but not great with ages, child had a dummy still) There was a car seat in back but was empty obviously. Child is hanging out of the open window, mother trying to manoeuvre the car around the bendy lanes and filter in. Still nattering on phone, just kept dragging child away from window if they leant too far out and pushing them into passenger footwell.

She filters into our lane, then keeps rolling backwards seemingly accidentally as she'd then hit the brake hard, still on phone, still trying to keep child from falling out window. She was rolling almost into us so me and DH shouted at her to get off her phone and control her car and restrain the child.
Still on the phone she shouted back to us what's it gotta do with you? Which is true. We just said for god sake sort the kid out and stop breaking all these laws.
She then said its fine she's only using the drive through she's not actually driving. And then she put phone down, shouted at the kid to keep still, drove forward, got her food and then drove out of macdonalds and out of the retail park completely. Child still not restrained.

Now I really try not to judge, I always think they might be really stressed/ I don't know what's going on in their lives etc but in this case no, I am judging. There's no excuse. Child should have been in car seat. If child got them selves out and climbed through the seats and got in front seat, pull over. Or at least use normal seatbelt across their lap to stop them hanging out of window, then pull over and put child in car seat. No need to be on phone either. Just no.

I know it's none of my business, and I could have kept out of it but hopefully next time she thinks about being on the phone in car or not putting the child in a car seat she might remember this situation and might do the right thing and that poor kid might not be killed in a RTC. I hope so anyway.

So AIBU to have judged her and told her so?

God don't make me feel worse than I already do . Hopefully she pulled over somewhere outside of the retail park and restrained the child. Maybe she didn't want to be embarrassed in the car park with us looking on? I don't know.
It really didn't even enter my head to call the police until hours later. I was in shock at what I was witnessing and still for hours later I would remember and be like that bloody woman!
At least I said something. I really hope they got to wherever they were going to safely and next time she just pauses and thinks before she answers her phone / doesn't put the child in a car seat. That's all I can hope for. I'm just glad I said something. And if I ever witness something similar again, hopefully I'll be more prepared and instantly jot down the reg number and phone the police. In future is it a 999 or 101 situation?

Woahhhhh spotty
Yes, the OP would definitely be the one at fault in that situation

Judge away. They're laws for a reason.

I'm loving the liberal use of the word 'pillock' on this thread. And so very apt as there are indeed some pillocks commenting.

Children should be restrained in a car, not only because your own actions have a small possibility of causing a crash, but because if another driver hits you that child will go flying whether you're moving or not. So yes, you've put your child in danger by having them in the car but not strapped in.