Moan about babies in car seats... not secured..

[luckylady]

Since living out here in Cyprus this is one thing that has really gripped my sh*t (xcuse language). All the time you see the first stage car seats in the cars facing forward or sideways and no seat belt on them. Today as I was putting my shopping in the cr a younginsh family were getting out of theres they had a Jane car seat (I gather a very good make)the babs was no mote than 2-3 weeks if that tbh.. and was in themiddle of the back seat, no seatbelt round it and facing forward [angrty] . They also had a little boy of about 3-4yrs with them , no car/ booster seat and no seat belt.

This really gets to me buit not a lot I can do about just needed to rant.

You've more than me,ll!
There are two other expatriate women in the city I live in. Explains my MN addiction somewhat!

there are 250 on our camp then there are 3 much bigger camps also on island.

I live in Holland and attitudes are much more "relaxed" here than they are in the UK. Babies do go in car seats, but when children reach the age of about 4 or 5, they just don't seem to bother with anything, not even a seatbelt in the back of the car. Once saw a car where a mum was holding her baby in her arms in the front seat!!!!!!!! Holland is a highly educated society so they must be aware of the dangers but choose to ignore them. I get completely freaked out when I see kids bouncing around in the back of moving vehicles.

md, my sil is from bangladesh, but brought up in the uk.
in 1982 my parents drove from edinburgh to london with my one month old sis, on moms lap in the front seat.........
and i dont ever remember a car seat, even though mom was driving and the four of us were in the back, sis is ten years younger than me!

I was getting my 2 out the car the other day (in the UK) and a car pulled into the space next to us - normal sized saloon car - and out piled 2 (large) adults and 4 kids from age 6 months to about 8 or 9. HOW did they get them in there???

ooohh,
just rtemembered, my uncle in saudi arabia has this great big huge box chevy. once, we had all these people in it, big family trip to burger king.
mom and dad
uncle and aunti
me and my four sisters, all grownup.
their four children, aged between 10 and 3.

makes me have heart palpitations now.

On the Combi's (Commuter Omnibuses - minibuses used as local trasnport) in Zim not only would they squeeze up to 15/6 people into them, but mothers carrying babies on their backs would squash in too

It was also very common place to see whole families travelling in the back of an open baakie (pick-up truck).

ouch

they all seemed to love it - I was on of the rare 'white' people that travelled on them and they used to be there strapped to their mum's backs with a towel or similar smiling and gurgling away, or even fast asleep and not even stirring

Of course it never helped that there were always a large number of "well proportioned" African women squashing on too........so whereas 4 'average' sized people could just about squeeze into the 3 seats - one (or even two sometimes ) larger ladies would make the whole journey a lot more uncomfortable

On a recent holiday to Cyprus I was appalled at the state of the car seat provided with the hire car. Not fitted, no instructions on how to fit it. Couldn?t get it to fit without it moving about. Absolute nervous wreck the first time we went out.
Fortunately, our first outing was to go over to Dhekelia to visit DB and SIL who managed to hire a much better fitting seat from the local NAAFI.

Saw loads of ?local? kids completely unrestrained in both the front and backs of cars, pickups and even saw two kids being driven around in a 2 seater .
A zillion kids and adults pilling out of pickup truck type vehicles on several occasions.
An unbelievable number of adults with kids riding around on bikes/mopeds in shorts and tee shirts ? no helmets.

I posted this last time when the 'holding onto kids' thread cropped up

Found this data

In a series of tests at the Highway Safety Research Institute of Michigan, male and female adult volunteers were safely fastened to a seat with lap and shoulder belts.

? Each volunteer held a 17-pound "dummy" which represented the size and weight of a six-month-old baby.

? Each was then subjected to simulated 15 and 30 mile per hour impacts. Not one of the volunteers was able to hold onto the "baby."

? Even knowing the precise moment of impact and using all their strength, the baby was ripped from their arms and slammed into the dashboard.

It is a physical imposibility to hold onto a baby in a rapid decelleration

Luckylady, don't worry they won't be able to get away with it for long. When the new EU rules on child restraints comes in in May 2006 they'll be just as liable as we are. I understand from the Cypriot newspaper we get over here, that the police are going to get really tough on things like drinkdriving/no seat belts/child seats etc but I'll believe it when I see it! There will be some really shocked drivers out there if they do. It usually takes me a couple of days to adjust back to UK driving (you know red light means stop, rather than red light means keep edging out into the road and drive straight through if you can get away with it!)

Vala- we are just down the road from Dhekelia (15 mins) next time you are out give me a shout (if you are coming out again) as I have a spare car seat for when we have visitors so they can take ds if they wish, you are welcome to borrow it.

Serenity- I know what you mean re edging at red lights I must admit though that I have now started to do it also . I tend to mix a bit of there driving and my city driving;....

couldn't agree more about the whole not strapping the car seat in bit - what's the point in buying one if you're not going to bother strapping child into it, or just as bad, strap child in then not bother attaching the seat belt bit to it. I used to see it every day - these were the rich, well educated people who could actually afford car seats and had gone to all the trouble of buying them - obviously so their children could sleep well or the neighbours could see how loaded they were. I spent loads of time trying tactfully to tell friends about which way round the car seat was supposed to go but never got anywhere on that either.
Shame

Sadly it is still NOT illegal in the UK for a baby or a child to be transported with no car seat or approriate restraint in the rear of a car. I really think it is about time the Uk sorted out this law and made it illegal and punishable - why put our children at such risks?

UK laws on children and seat belts

Cars

The law requires children travelling in cars to use an appropriate child restraint or adult seat belt, if they are available. Children cannot be carried in the front seat unless they are either in a child restraint or are using the seat belt. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that children under the age of 14 years are either using an appropriate child restraint or an adult seat belt if available.

Children under 3 years old

If carried in the front seat, an appropriate child restraint MUST be used (the adult seat belt is not sufficient). Children under 3 years old may not travel in the front unless they are in a child restraint.

If carried in the rear seat, an appropriate child restraint MUST be used, IF AVAILABLE.

If an appropriate restraint is fitted in the front of the car, but not the rear, children under 3 years old MUST sit in the front and use that restraint. Remember, you could move the restraint from the front to the rear if you wish. Rearward-facing seats are designed to be used in the rear as well as the front. You should always put a rearward-facing baby seat in the rear if is a front passenger airbag fitted.

Children Aged 3-11 years and under 1.5 metres tall

If carried in the front seat, an appropriate child restraint MUST be worn IF AVAILABLE.
If not, an adult seat belt MUST be worn.

If carried in the rear seat, an appropriate child restraint MUST be worn IF AVAILABLE.
If not, an adult seat belt MUST be worn IF AVAILABLE.

If an appropriate restraint or seat belt is fitted in the front of the car, but not in the rear, children between 3 to 11 years old and under 1.5 metres tall MUST use that restraint or seat belt. (Remember, you could move the restraint from the front to the rear if you wish).

Children Aged 12-13 or younger children 1.5 metres or more in height

If carried in the front or rear seat, an adult seat belt MUST be worn IF AVAILABLE.

Passengers Over 14 years old

If travelling in the front or rear seat, an adult seat belt MUST be worn IF AVAILABLE.

Taxis and Private Hire Cars

The law is exactly the same as for children travelling in cars.

We lived in both Thailand and Vietnam and regularly saw whole families (parents and 2 or 3 kiddies) on the family motorbike! A favorite was for rear passenger to hold on to legs of child STANDING on seat behind driver!!!!!!!

yesterday driving about I saw a family of four all in the front of the car. One child was standing between the dash and the mother, the other was standing on the mothers knee.

Oh, that?s very kind of you LL.
We are hoping to get back out there in October. Will let you know if we do.
BTW: DS is 3 ? so need a full child seat ? front facing.
The one we were supplied with by the hire car company was the shape and size of a full front facing ? stage 2 type car seat, but seemed to be designed to be rear facing!! Very odd.

vala- the carseat is like the bebeconfort iseos so chould be suitable for your 3 year old.

Just let me know in advance so I can freshen it up for you. But it won't be a problem at all. ALso gives me chance to meet another MN in RL which will be ice if you are up for it.

sorry not like but is.... just a different pattern and colour.

Hello luckylady,
How funny I should find this thread. I went to the toyshop in Limassol this week and was really upset (again) by the amount of children unrestrained in cars. It was busy due to the Bank Hols and as I was putting my dd's in their car seats I saw, amongst other things,an approx 8 mth old baby flung on the back seat of a car with her older sister (approx 4) and the mum jumped in and drove off. How can they even think about doing that . I was going to start a thread too. It is scary.
Moondog - I have done that 'breastfeeding infant in car seat scenario' while sat waiting for DH. Kills your back doesn't it but still easier than getting them all the way out and then back in sometimes .

Just noticed this thread, and it really riles me when I see people in my home town driving around with about 405 kids on the back seat, including babies on knees! This is a very regular sighting in certain parts of the city.

405 kids on the back seat

I live in the Uk and am always seeing kids not in seats or not fastened in properly.Out of dd1(5)friends only about 2/3 use boosters and most sit in the front.
BTW I am only 1.5m so just fall in one height range!

According to the latest Mothercare catalogue there are new regulations coming into force in 2006 (May I think) which mean that all children under 150cm will have to be restrained in a child safety seat. Has anyone else heard about this because there's an awful lot of my friends with 6, 7, 8 year olds who have already thrown away their booster seats?