to think thisis dangerous and irresponsible?

[moulesfrites]

Our neighbours have just had their fourth child. We don't chat that often, we have tried to strike up a conversation with them occasionally but they have not been that responsive. Anyway, I have noticed that since the baby arrived they have not been using their quashquai (sp?) to go out in, presumably becuase it is not big enough for the 6 of them. Instead they have been going out in his works van. It is a bit of a dodgy vehicle anyway, apparently the handbreak doesn't work so he has to park it horizonatally on the drive so it doesn't roll away, but today when we got in from some shopping, the side door to the van was open and me and dh could not beleive our eyes...

We assumed he had seats in the back of the van, but today we could see it had a two seater bench seat, and then next to it, he had put a buggy, which he was putting one of the dcs in!! Surely this is illegal? I am concerned for the safety of their dcs!

Well... when I was a child(early 80s), my mum used to pile about 10 kids into the back of a Ford Daihatsu van and we'd all go swimming (10 kids were friends btw not siblings). It wasn't illegal to do so then and nobody thought anything of it.

I sort of sympathise with him. If they are too many to fit into the car, then he presumably feels he has no choice if he wants to take his family somewhere and he may well not have the money to buy a bigger car.

But obviously YANBU. Not sure what you could do though. Were you thinking about reporting him to the police?

Now that you mention it, I do remember a family who I knew when I was younger with 4 dcs and they used to put the youngest one in a dog basket in the footwell of the car!!!!! Which is probably worse than this.

Not sure what I was considering really. Hopefully it is just a stop gap until they get a bigger car!

Actually if you call the police non emergency number with the details of the vehicle and likely time they will be in the van then the poilce will do a stop on the van and give them a warning. It is legal afaik to travel without correct seatbelts/ car seats for unusual or emergency trips, to be using the buggy is going to be a disaster in an accident...

If you look on ebay atm there are loads of cheap 6/7 seater cars, YANBU, they are being nutters.............

My dad used to carry me and my 2 brothers in his work van like this, not very often thankfully - I remember it being uncomfortable and having to hang onto whatever we could whilst we were being swung around bends

You are NBU - if that van is involved in an accident, it doesn't matter if it is not his fault - those kids are going to end up in a very bad way

Please report him to your local police before something does happen!

The arguement that a few of us travelled like this when we were kids and survived to become adults does NOT hold water. The roads are busier, vehicles are bigger and heavier and go faster too, than we were kids.

of course he has a choice, they could take both vehicles!!!

i would call a non-emergency police number and see what they reckon.

it is legal not to use the correct car seat etc etc, but i am sure it's not legal to have a child in a pushchair instead of in a seat... is it???

Oh and my BIL and SIL have 4 kids under 7 between them and are fairly broke, but still managed to scrape together enough cash to get a second hand, in good condition Japanese people carrier (think it is an 8 seater), to transport them all in appropriate car seats.