Are ‘baby on board’ car signs no longer a thing?

[olivialennox]

I swear they used to be everywhere when I had my DC a decade ago. There was always a discussion about whether they were worth having, people arguing about their ‘true purpose’ etc etc but that aside they were commonplace on family cars. Nowadays I never see any! Was it a fad? Or do I just not really notice them around because I’m no longer in the ‘baby phase’ of life?

I remember those signs then, it was a thing some 10 years ago when I had DD1. Now I rarely see them.
The signs make no difference really, a careful driver will always be careful and give space to the car in front and silly drivers won’t, no matter the sign you put on.

People realised they were wanky so don't use them anymore!!

I remember looking on the internet about whether to get one when I had DD1 in 2005. The general consensus was "definitely not" then, so I doubt they are much of a thing 18 years later.

I really can't see how your BOB sign is going to make anyone more careful because a baby is on board. I'll treat your car like any other as all occupants of all cars are of equal worth.

I slow down around schools because a child could run on the road unpredictably. Unless your infant is likely to jump out of the car in front of mine, your sign means nothing to me.

Wrong.

A 2012 study actually found that BOB signs were responsible for 1 in 20 accidents…

Which would mean you feel a car with children in is more precious and important than those without. Hence me saying it’s a bit obnoxious.

Are you having an absolute laugh?

Reasoned and evidenced arguments about car stickers? 😂😂😂

‘Bollocks’ (now deleted, I see, not sure why) from @idontlikealdi is a perfectly reasonable response to this thread, whether you agree with it or not.

True, but I have to say that I did notice nobhead tail gaters back off when I had one. So for that alone I was happy, even if others found it irritating.

I didn't think my life was worth more than others as PP suggest, but the point is that babies are vulnerable in car crashes and if it makes aggressive drivers rethink their driving then that's a good thing.

Truth be told it came with a set of baby car stuff I bought (seat mirrors etc) and I didn't really give it much thought. It got lost when I changed cars though.

Seeing a baby on board may make someone think twice and slow the fuck down. Not sure why that annoys people so much?
What's annoying is the extreme naivety tht it will make anyone drive differently around you. As well as the idea that a baby is a more important passenger than anyone else

BoB signs are bollocks, but I agree with PPs re: P plates.

My OH came to driving late in life and didn't pass his test until he was 44. I've been driving for more than 25 years and also hold an HGV license

As he was driving my car, I insisted he used P plates for a year after passing, and the difference in other drivers' behaviour was very noticeable.

I dont have a BOB sticker but I notice tailgaters back off anyway - but that’s because I slow down massively. I figure, if a tailgater is gonna rear ended my car, it’s safer they do it at a slow speed than a fast one

Because, in this context, all lives matter

I got one for my car when I had my wee one. Mainly because the majority of drivers round here are speed demons and tailgating 🔔🔚s (and I refuse to do 40 in a 30, no matter how close you sit behind me). Hasn't made the slightest bit of difference though!

🤣🤣🤣

This. I’m a careful driver because I know other cars have humans on board. Their age is irrelevant.

It has never crossed my mind to even have an opinion on BOB stickers. How do people care so much about this stuff?

I have no issue with them but I don’t think they do anything.

If people want to put them up in the hope that someone would be more patient or whatever with them (like the P sign) then good luck to them, I wouldn’t judge them for it.

Oh wow I didn’t realise I was so annoyed by car signage. But this is also annoying. If you believe you’re good enough a driver to go in for the test, pass and then go on the open road unsupervised, you shouldn’t expect people to make special concessions. I would have been mortified to have a P sign.

I’m now going to sit and have a think about why car signage is such a cause of irritation for me.

I think (well, I know) that I live in an area of absolute arses because taking my P plates off saw an immediate reduction in aggressive driving towards me. People absolutely loved to overtake in ridiculous situations when I was driving to the speed limit when I had P plates. I took the P plates off and suddenly my speed was perfectly acceptable to everyone.

There were some people that were more polite due to the P plates, but the deliberately intimidating my-car-is-my-penis-extension types outweighed the advantage of that for me.

P signs are a legal requirement for new drivers in NI for their first year. Or certainly were a few years ago. Im not totally up to date.

What a strange general consensus on this thread. Each to their own I guess! We have one, in the hopes that the abundance of overly aggressive, up your arse drivers, we have round here might think twice and slow down a bit rather than push you up the road when you’re driving the speed limit. Probably had no effect whatsoever though…

The oddest sticker Dad saw years ago was
SHOW DOGS IN TRANSIT

Like who cares if they are show dogs or pets?

As others have said, people tailgating aren't going to care two hoots for someone else's genetic material.

It's not called ''the selfish gene'' for nothing.

See I really did notice a difference when I had one @oakleaffy. There are some people who just tailgate because they're a bit thick and do it almost out of habit and they wouldn't care less I'm sure, but I did notice the boy racer types and the BMW driver men (sorry to all respectable BMW drivers but you know the type I'm on about) tended to back off a lot more.