Faulty seatbelts, fear, and car seats forever?

innerSpaceman · 11-12-2006, 11:54 PM

I think it's a perfectly mammalian impulse to offer special protections to children, unable to defend themselves and more than usually susceptable to death.

I know what you mean about the bleh of the ubiquitous "for the sake of the children." I'm sick of it, and would like most things in this world to be geared for adults ... with parents solely responsible for protecting their kids. But it's simply a mainstay of the custodial (motherly) role to protect offspring uber alis.

Alex · 11-13-2006, 12:20 AM

It's a tragic story (if it isn't viral marketing for the car seat; sorry to be cynical but a quick search indicates that the only ones saying seatbelt failure is common are PI lawyers).

Obviously I'm not a parent so it might all change if I were to become one, but this is true on other topics as well: You take reasonable precautions and sometimes **** happens. Reducing risk to zero is a fool's chase and most people suck at honestly evaluating risk and spend huge amounts of time, money, and worry avoiding relatively small risks while walking right into much larger ones.

Ran into this thread about the video at car-seat.org. Post #15, particularly, is of some interest (and the whole thread lays to rest the viral marketing concern).

tracilicious · 11-13-2006, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Obviously I'm not a parent so it might all change if I were to become one, but this is true on other topics as well: You take reasonable precautions and sometimes **** happens.

This is true. Sadly, many parents have to be prompted to take reasonable precautions. Re: the boy in the video. I think the video is giving the false impression that if only he was in a Britax he wouldn't have died. That may or may not be true. Like the thread you linked to said, he wasn't even in the booster seat properly. I know that if my three year old were in a seat that he could unbuckle he probably would. I think a better campaign would prompt parents to check for proper fit and weight limits. But there may have been absolutely nothing that would have saved his life.

That doesn't mean that others shouldn't take those same precautions though.

11-13-2006, 12:20 AM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	It's a tragic story (if it isn't viral marketing for the car seat; sorry to be cynical but a quick search indicates that the only ones saying seatbelt failure is common are PI lawyers). Obviously I'm not a parent so it might all change if I were to become one, but this is true on other topics as well: You take reasonable precautions and sometimes **** happens. Reducing risk to zero is a fool's chase and most people suck at honestly evaluating risk and spend huge amounts of time, money, and worry avoiding relatively small risks while walking right into much larger ones. Ran into this thread about the video at car-seat.org. Post #15, particularly, is of some interest (and the whole thread lays to rest the viral marketing concern).
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11-12-2006, 11:54 PM	#1
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	I think it's a perfectly mammalian impulse to offer special protections to children, unable to defend themselves and more than usually susceptable to death. I know what you mean about the bleh of the ubiquitous "for the sake of the children." I'm sick of it, and would like most things in this world to be geared for adults ... with parents solely responsible for protecting their kids. But it's simply a mainstay of the custodial (motherly) role to protect offspring uber alis.
	Submit to Quotes