When I opened the local news paper this morning, I was appalled by what I found. Two separate articles about two separate accidents where a toddler was seriously injured simply because they were not buckled into a car seat. In both cases, car seats were installed in the vehicles, but were not in use. The excuse that was given for not buckling their children in? They don't like to ride in their car seats, and the inconvenience of getting them into the seat.
My Child Hates the Car Seat
So what? My child hates to go to bed, but I don't let her stay up all night. She detests having her hair washed, but it still happens. Children cannot be allowed make the decision to not buckle up. My daughter went through a phase where she would scream, cry, and anything else she could think of to avoid being buckled in. She didn't want any part of her car seat. We are the parents, we are in charge, and we must do everything in our power to insure the safety of our children. Don't let a tantrum stop you from getting your child buckled in. No matter how much they scream and cry, they have to learn that they will be riding in the car seat. After a few weeks of massive meltdowns every time we needed to go somewhere, she realized the tantrums weren't going to do produce the desired results so she gave them up.
Inconvenience
When one of the drivers was interviewed, she said that since they were only going a couple of miles in a rural area, she didn't think it was worth the effort to buckle the child in. Regardless of how good of a driver you think you are, or what distance you are traveling, accidents can happen at any time. It takes only a few seconds and a minimum amount of effort to fasten a car seat harness. A seat belt requires even less time and effort. Inconvenience is not a good enough reason to not buckle your child securely in the car.
The Numbers
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, in the United States during 2005, 1,451 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 203,000 were injured. That's an average of 4 deaths and 556 injuries each day. Of the children ages 0 to 14 years who were killed in motor vehicle crashes during 2005, nearly half were unrestrained. Studies show child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years.
Their Lives are Worth the Effort
It is our job as parents to do everything humanly possible to protect our children. Securing your child in a car seat requires very little time and effort, and makes a huge impact on their safety while going for a drive. Could you ever forgive yourself if your child was injured or killed in an auto accident simply because they weren't buckled up in a car seat? I know I couldn't.
