Safety vs Stupidity

Maybe it's the impending arrival of a little one, or a inherent dislike for really dumb people, but this caught my attention the other day. Here in Ontario we have seen the introduction of a new law. After years of study and research it has been determined that children are not kept safe in a car crash by seatbelts designed for fully grown adults. Although I don't profess to be an intelligent person, I don't think this should be a ground breaking revelation for anyone. This research has triggered a change in our exiting seatbelt laws extending booster seat requirements to children under the age of eight, weighing
more than 18 kg but less than 36 kg (40-80 lbs) and who stands less than
145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) tall. Anyone who breaks this rule will be penalized with a fine of $110.00 and two demerit points.

The end result of this has been a flood of purchases for booster seats. The government has responded by eliminating the sales tax on these seats. As a byproduct there is also rage and dislike for the new law. I don't have a problem with the new law as it is in place to protect children in crashes. Of course the best protection of all is don't drive like a tool, but you only have control over your own car, so there's always the possibility that some imbecile will ram you because they are late for work and need your lane.

Getting some of the kids that are over 6 years old, that have escaped the clutches of a booster seat, back into them will be a trick, but it the law. Other parents are a little less concerned with the new law though. One lady told the news that she won't fight to get her 6 and 7 year old back into booster seats. "I'm seven and I don't want to be in a booster seat," said her daughter. She explained that her friends would make fun of her if she went back in a booster seat now (wouldn't some of her friends be back in them too?!). The mom said "They've just taken safety (requirements) too far." and she added she's willing to risk the ticket. Makes sense, you don't want to fight with your kids to keep them safe, nor spend the additional money on booster seats, but you will risk higher insurance rates and $110 fines. She was quoted as saying "I don't think it's needed. We didn't have booster seats when we were their age,".

As I recall, when I was little, it was also okay to let your kids run around the back seat of a car without any seatbelts at all, or even ride in the back of a pickup truck. A collision would turn them instantly into meat missiles who wouldn't have to be plagued with chronic injuries for the rest of their lives, since they would have pretty much been assured of death from a high velocity impact with a window or opposing vehicle. My parents even told me that it was time for them to sell there van, because when they hit the gas my stroller would roll to the back of the van, and on braking I'd roll to the front, making feeding during road trips very tricky. Yeah, I think going back to the old way was way better.

Is it just me or does this strike anybody else as moronic? Yes the law will inconvenience people for a brief window of two years, after which there will be no more kids in the overlap. People complained when seatbelts were made mandatory and then when boosters were mandatory. People complain, yes, but wouldn't they want to take the best possible care of their children? I'm afraid that if someone told me dressing them in shirts made of bubble wrap would keep them safer in a collision, I would be out at the store buying the by the roll. Sure they'd keep popping the bubbles and driving me insane, triggering road rage, but at least when I ram the guy next to me for not signaling, they'll be kept safe by their noisy cruising wear. What a great lesson to teach your kids too. There's never too high a cost for convenience, whether it be higher insurance, ticket fines, or even the potential of injury or death for your little ones. So long as you don't load all of your kids into the same vehicle, the family will still exist in one form or another right? Hell, you can always squeeze a few more kids to replenish right?

Idiots make me laugh, just keep them away from my kids.