Kids not wearing seat belts

S

sandrat

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I was walking home from the shop this evening and I saw a woman driving with 3 children in the car all of whom must have been under the age of 8. None of the children were belted in never mind in booster seats and one was standing on the front seat with back facing the windscreen talking over the headrest to the 2 others in the back.

How can someone have such disregard for children? The woman was wearing her seat belt. Are there penalty points for this? Should it be an outright ban? Made me feel sick.
 
Must admit, that's one thing that will really get me creating steam. I saw a woman picking up her children from school and she piled five of them in the back seat (designed for three) and not a seat belt between them. She ofcourse was wearing her seat belt.

Given it's been compulsory in the UK for years to strap children into seat belts I found it very strange to see unbelted children standing and climbing around the back seat of moving cars here in Ireland.

To be honest, I'm not clear on the legalities, my children are always belted up and if they're in someone elses car they will insist on wearing a belt. I'm not sure if it's because they know they should or they're worried about the reaction from their dad and I if they don't! If I'm carrying other children in the car I will only take what i have seatbelts for and insist they use them. If they refuse, then they go nowhere.
 
Yes, there are penalty points for carrying a passenger - of any age - who is not wearing a seatbelt, because it is the driver's responsibility to ensure that any passengers are securely belted. Plus children under 12 or under a certain height are not allowed to sit in the front seat (unless it's a baby in a rearward-facing carseat). Of course, enforcing it is a different matter. It's all just a matter of whether or not there happens to be a Garda around.

I really don't understand it myself - a child is probably the most precious cargo anyone would carry in their car, so why wouldn't they want to ensure their safety? And don't get me started on those ... people (can't use the word I'd like to use!) who think it's soo cute to have a baby sit in their lap and pretend to drive - while the car is actually moving
 
I agree...it's absolute insanity. Regardless of whether or not the car is involved in a crash, all it takes is a sudden stop and the kids will be chucked about the place and possibly smack their heads off something !

If I have a passenger in the car, I insist on them wearing their seatbelt and don't drive anywhere until they do so. I actually feel kinda naked if I don't have my seatbelt on and cannot comprehend people who don't use them....what's their logic ?
 
I know a woman who lost her 5 year old son because he was not wearing a seat belt.

The boy was getting a lift from friends down the country was standing between the 2 front seats then there was a 2 car collision.

The boy went straight through the front window and landed 30 meters down the road.

This was a few weeks before Christmas.

Awful beyond words.
 
I can only imagine that the adult in the car has an "it'll never happen to me" mentality. I think because people are so familiar with their cars that they forget how dangerous they can be. But for the life of me I can't think of any possible logic behind someones decision to put on their own seatbelt and not the childrens. Would they do the same thing in an airplane??
 

I stand corrected - thank you. Oh, and I see from that link that the lower age limit for front seat passengers is actually 17. I think it used to be 12. Anyways, penalty points or not, I reckon it is up to the driver to insist that all passengers wear their seatbelts. No one expects to be involved in a car crash but when they do, the consequences of not being belted in can be devastating, as shown in a previous post.
 
I drove by a woman in city traffic yesterday with a 3 or 4 year old standing on the back seat. And, like your situation, the woman driving was also wearing a seatbelt. I thought everybody saw those ads on tv!
 
S.L.F said:
The boy was getting a lift from friends down the country was standing between the 2 front seats
Click to expand...
Paramedics (who use black humour as a defence against the difficult nature of their job) describe this position (between the two front seats) as 'the launchpad' for obvious reasons.

When you come alongside the parent driving the unrestrained kids in traffic, wind down the window, and try something like 'What beautiful children - Do you not love them enough to strap them in?'.
 

Sorry not correcting you as such, the wording of the document may be a little confusing. A child 12 or over can sit in the front, but they must be wearing a seat-belt, the points were for allowing a person under 17 sit in the front without a restraint / seatbelt.
 
It's a good thing my job doesn't depend on interpreting those rules for penalty points - I keep reading the darn things wrong! Thanks for the clarification
 
Celtwytch said:
.. it is the driver's responsibility to ensure that any passengers are securely belted. Plus children under 12 or under a certain height are not allowed to sit in the front seat (unless ..
Click to expand...

.. it's their Holy Communion, in which case it's a long standing tradition to allow the child ride shotgun .

I have a running battle with my son's friends (8yos) to get them to sit in the child seats when they're in my car. They think it's demeaning. My sister has 8yo twins and she hasn't made them use boosters or full seats for a couple of years.
 
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