Kids And Cars, Cars And Kids

So many of us (me included) go through life on autopilot because we're so busy.  Life seems to have us going every-which-way and it's hard to keep up, but one story in the news brought this home to me this morning.

Having been in a newsroom for every major news event of the 1990s, you'd think I would have lots of memorable stories.  Unfortunately, one story is indelibly etched into my brain and it has to do with kids and cars.

I don't remember all the specifics except that a young family was driving through Denver ... both parents and several children, none of whom were in seatbelts or child safety seats.  The youngest, under age 5, was sitting in the front seat, in his mother's lap, when his father, who was driving, swerved suddenly.  The boy would have been thrown from the truck except for the seatbelt he was playing with.  As he was being thrown around inside the truck cab, his head got caught and tangled in the seatbelt, causing ... well, not death, but certainly permanent, life-altering injuries.

Pictures of the child and the aftermath will never leave my head and I was just a bystander.  I remember interviews with the father.  He said they just didn't think that child restraints were that important.  Unfortunately, he and his wife would have to live with the impact of that decision the rest of their lives ... as would their child, who has lived his life attached to a respirator and wheelchair-bound.

After all the years of being reminded that children under 5 and under 40-pounds must be in child safety seats, I still see parents putting their children in the car and driving off, with the child not restrained in any way.  Some of the reasons for it include:  "My kid hates that seat;" "I just had to run to the store quickly and I didn't want to hassle with it;" and "It's not that big a deal and I don't like restricting his freedom."

Next time you get into your car with your child, think about the hassle this father now has and the freedom his child has permanently lost, just because he didn't think it was that big a deal.

With this in mind, your local sheriff’s office occasionally offers child safety seat inspections by appointment.  Please, even if you think you know it all, take advantage of this wonderful free provision.