to think that if you go to the trouble of buying a "Little Princess On Board" sticker, you might buy a sodding car seat as well?

[hunkermunker]

Why do I keep seeing twats with babies on their laps in cars?

And recently, two cars with the ever-irritating baby on board type stickers, with tiny babies on lap of grinning idiot in back of car.

And once a little while ago a baby on the lap of someone in the front seat of the car.

I know this is really about the car seats, but what is the point of those stupid baby on board notices??

The point of those notices now is to alert other drivers that there is a car being driven by someone who is nappybrained or distracted by bawling/fighting children.

What I don't understand is that when you leave hospital, with your precious little buddle, you have to have a suitable car seat to take them home in. That's what happens at our hospital anyway. You are not allowed to leave, without showing the staff your carseat, if you're travelling by car. Maybe its something that should be added to pre-natal classes. Maybe if new parents saw what could happen, they might take a bit more notice.

There is still something very smug about those signs imo.

I have to confess that I had a baby on board sticker with number one as I was so proud to be a mummy at last. I also hoped it would mean people wouldn't drive up my back side. I have a child on board notice now and it doesn't help, there are still the idiots who want to see how near they can get to my boot.

loads in Bournemouth do this too - last week when I was picking up dd from playgroup I saw someone spend 5 mins getting their massive travel system out of the boot and clip the infant carrier onto it just to walk 5 yards to the school gate. I then saw her return to the car, and just place the infant carrier on the back seat, not strapped in. There was also a little one from dd's playgroup not strapped into a booster in the back and another little one about 4 or 5 in the front again with no seatbelt. I just can't believe that anyone would do this ever.

Do you think if you took the reg and reported it something would actually be done? I have often considered this but not sure who to contact and what would be done.

Going to Bristol (on the motorway)I saw 3 children sat in the back of an astra, none had car seats but were each being restrained by having another child sat on their laps!!!

Very Took numbers and called local Police, they said they would pass it on to someone or other.

I made the mistake of telling my (very well intentioned but at times infuriating) mother that we are buying a carseat (despite not having a car), much to her astonishment and confusion. I have explained the law to her (in words of almost one syllable) and that we wont be able to leave the hospital without one and pointed out that however carefully we (or the taxi driver) might be driving some idiot can always drive into us and still STILL she keeps on bringing it up in a 'but I'm sure just bringing her home from the hospital on your lap couldn't possibly be a problem' and 'it does seem silly, though, doesn't it?' kind of a way. It is driving me stark raving mad, MAD I tell you.

Rant over.

So mad in fact that I have succumbed to a tidal wave of parentheses for which I apologise.

Its a different generation FC, thats the problem. It wasn't a problem for them, so why would it be a problem now, thats how they see it. Good on you though, for seeing that despite not being drivers, you need a seat for just in case. I had a similar aguement with my FIL, who insisted that dd would be fine sitting on his lap! He weights over 20 stone FGS! What if..... I don't need to say it, do I?

With previous generations there weren't as many cars on the roads, people poosibly didn't drive as fast, car seats weren't available and not every car had rear seat belts.

hunkermunker - ring the police with the registration plate.

That might sound extreme - but these children's lives are being put at risk. I've done it once - they came far to late - I will not hesitate to do it again though.

I've seen babies in newborn type carseats, carefully strapped in, but the carseat isn't strapped into the car. Why bother with one and not the other?

how can these ppl say they love their children? you dont even need to crash- just brake hard for a baby to end up 20ft infront on the tarmac with its brains over the road......would like to hear what they have to say for themslves then?

Still tittering at Walrus's "farts in a colander" analogy ... so true!
I heard a radio programme years ago where persistent offenders who didn't strap their children in were taken to a crash test site and shown what would happen, with child-size dummies, in various kinds of crash. It was very chastening and they all vowed never to do it again. Perhaps there should be some TV information like the anti-drink-driving campaigns?

I saw some woman on the M1 in the front seat breastfeeding a newborn Perhaps not the best of situations, however much baby needs feed.

can't believe people take their childrens lives so lightly.

My xp's parents were of the school of 'we didn't have a car/car seat (or probably seat belts to put around said carseat, so therefore our dgb will not need one'. So was he. So I asked him if he was going to push our baby the 5 miles from the hospital to my house in the pram or should we just buy a carseat which would be in use for the next 12-15 months anyway since she wasn't going to go in a car without one? I got my way and we had a carseat the next day .

FWIW, a lot of the parents at my dd's nursery had started doing away with toddler seats and relying on cheap boosters when a child from the afternoon nursery session was killed in a collision on her way home from n nursery . This certainly concentrated a few minds - it's a shame it took a child's death to do so.

My Mum's old next door neighbour used to have five under 10's squashed in the back with no seat belts. Her mate sat in the front with a 1 year old sitting on her lap with no belt on.

((((shudders in anger at the thought of idiots who don't secure kids in cars))))))

I left a note on someones car today after I saw them drive with their child stood up between the two middle seats.

When I was a kid (with two younger siblings)we were never strapped in - let alone in special seats. No-one was - it just was not done. I shudder when I think back - I used to sit in the middle wedged in between the two front seats so I could see through the windscreen. Makes me shake with anger when I see it now - there is absolutely no excuse.

And whilst we are on the subject, I hate those farkin 'baby on board' stickers (and all their spin offs - princess etc. Bleghh.

I agree with the suggestion about there being a sobering ad campaign - some parents need a good slap - mental or physical.

A while ago i followed a car with 2 small kids in it, not only did they not have car seats, but where hanging out the window, whilst the mother drove about 50 mph through a 20 zone!!!! My kids aged 4 and 2 were shouting at them, dd was very upset and worried about them shame their mother didnt show even a little bit of her worriedness.

Also when picking dd up from school i saw a mother put a 4 and 2 year old in the car seats but didnt do the straps up?????? why?????

I really think that they should have an advertising campaign that runs on tv all day and night showing what can happen, and think that they should educate children at school.

Years ago on holiday in Sri Lanka where the roads are incredibly congested - buses lorries, cars, bikes, cows all going fast at times ( not the cows) we saw WHOLE families on motorbikes. Dad driving, Mum behind with tiny baby in one arm several little ones hanging on the side. This was before we had kids. We thought it amusing at the time. After having my own kids I am HORRIFIED when I think back at it - but suppose it was their only way of getting from A to B.

Thank God for the nanny State sometimes!!!

MY pil are like this , when I had my first son she looked after him once and he came back stinking of smoke after been in the car all day dragged round to see all her relatives ,who are all fag ash lils .She also thinks nothing of smoking in car either .
Totally off subject too but she used to go against me when I insisted he only drink water and she would sneask dilute orange in his bottle grrrrr!!!
She dosen't see my children on her own anymore