Last Friday while on my way to work, we stopped behind a white Proton Iswara aeroback at the traffic lights. The driver was a lady and she was ferrying her son in the back seat. From the looks of it, her son was almost the same age as Ethan, and he was standing up. The little boy proceeded to take a few steps forward to *tell* his mother something and then gingerly stepped back.
What’s wrong with this picture?
You guessed it. Why isn’t this boy in a car seat? I felt my knees wobble in fear when I saw how dangerous it was for that boy to prance around in the car, sans seat belt. When the traffic lights turned green, mommy the driver stepped on the gas pedal so suddenly that the little boy was violently jerked backward! And she even drove as if she was on some F1 circuit!
To this day, I am appalled that the majority of people with kids do not place importance on having their kids strapped into a child car seat. In fact, from birth, babies *MUST* be placed in an infant seat in the car at all times. I have heard grouses that car seats are “so expensive” and parents often pooh-poohed it as a “not important” item to purchase. It irks me, however, that these same parents can fork out a few thousand ringgit to hire a confinement lady but can’t even buy a car seat for their baby’s safety. You tell me if that is placing their priorities in the right place!
Well, and what about those parents who don’t own a car and have to ferry their kids on motorbikes, a la sandwich style? I’m sorry, but I think that is totally absurd. I would rather the kid stay at home than live dangerously moving around the city on a bike, at breakneck speed. Either have the kid stay at home or don’t have a kid at all.
In my opinion, Malaysian roads are too dangerous for children to ride in cars without being in a car seat, even though it is for a short distance. The Malaysian government should make it compulsory for all babies and toddlers to be strapped into child seats, and then follow through on this ruling by enforcing it. Do we all not believe the children are our future?
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Ever seen a motorcycle with 2 children in between 2 adults. I really do not know what those parents are thinking off.
The Giddy Tiger says: The people are protecting the motorbike, instead of the motorbike protecting them.
I have seen a motorcycle with one in front and two sandwiched between two adults!!That’s 5!!!!
Yes, car seats are very important!! Before I had Ian, I used to do what the lady did when fetching my nieces and nephews…never crossed my mind..*guilty*!!
The Giddy Tiger says: How on *earth* do they balance themselves!?
Our Malaysian government doesn’t even enforce backseat passengers to strap up – what more child safety?
The Giddy Tiger says: Yeah, it’s sad isn’t it?
yup…it’s just too dangerous. my girl is off car seat, but we strap her with adult one most of the time, and i told her, i’m not moving unless u sit down.
The Giddy Tiger says: Good for ya.
oooh, I hope that mother will buy a car seat for her kid soon. our roads are too dangerous these days with crazy drivers on them! didn’t use to be like that, though… *sigh*
The Giddy Tiger says: Sadly, I don’t believe that will be happening. 🙁
I agree, if the car stops suddenly the child will be the first to go through the windscreen!
The Giddy Tiger says: That is such a scary thought, isn’t it?
Any road is too dangerous to not have a car seat. You don’t have to be driving that fast for a child to become a projectile from a sudden stop. Even having an adult holding a child is not suffiecient. Seen plenty of instances where the velocity is too much and the child flies away.
The Giddy Tiger says: Yeah, it’s so scary isn’t it?