DC riding in car with unbelted passenger

[melissa1]

My dh and I will be traveling for Christmas by plane. We will be borrowing one of my parent’s vehicles once we get there. Here is the problem. My father NEVER wears his seatbelt and he will be picking us up from the airport. I have a 5 month old and have read to never allow your child to ride in a vehicle with an unbelted passenger. What do you think? We have had HUGE arguments in the past with my family even before our son was born regarding our nephews safety. So it is a sore subject and my whole family thinks that my DH and I are too overcautious about car issues :! We are considering asking him to use his seat belt, which he probably won’t, or renting a car for the week with an added expense of $180. He will likely only be in the car with us on the way home from the airport. This won’t be an issue in our own vehicle because we will simply tell him he has to wear a seatbelt or not ride with us. I mentioned to my sister that we weren’t sure what we were going to do because we were worried about him not wearing a seatbelt with our DS in the car and she says oh you guys are being overly cautious!!!

[zo's ma]

Can you take a shuttle to and from the airport?

[wednesday]

No way...I saw a video online once of a British PSA about the importance of all passengers wearing seatbelts. It showed a bunch of teens in a car, all but one had seatbelts on, the fourth teen was too cool to wear his. They were in an accident and in slo-mo you could see the unbelted passenger flying all over the car and breaking the other passenger's necks. I've seen a similar video with crash test dummies. It's not just about one person being reckless with their own safety, they're endangering the other occupants of the car as well. It's not safe even to have unsecured objects loose in your car. Like groceries etc should be in the trunk or secured in some way.

[ThreeBeans]

I would spend the 180 on the car. I wouldn't subject my children to possible injury.

[dallaschildren]

I agree with the PP's. Spend the 180 and rent your own car. If he wants to ride unbelted, that's his perogative and to his own detriment. But there is no reason why he should subject you and your child and his grandchild to his stupidity. An unbelted occupant becomes a projectile which will do you and your family a great deal of harm should you wreck. Remember Newton's theory of motion (paraphrasing here)....an object remains in motion at the original speed of motion until stopped by an outside force. So say your father weighs 200 pounds. You wreck and were travelling at say 40 mph.
200 lbs X 40 mph= 8,000 lbs of restraining force. So your father would fly around the cabin of the car and hit you as if he weighed 8,000 pounds. That is before he most likely would be ejected out of the vehicle and probably die on impact.

Dallaschildren
CPS Instructor and momma to 2 sons in seats

[intorainbowz]

I'm with the above posters. Rent a car, take a cab, shuttle, whatever. I would not ride in a car with an unbelted passenger.

I saw a demonstration at a safety fair where the car rolled. 3 belted passengers, one unbelted. The unbelted dummy went all over the car and injured the other passengers.

He can do whatever he wants in his own car. You and yours do not have to be there.

[wife&mommy]

i totally agee with pp

[NYCVeg]

If someone won't buckle his seatbelt, he is not allowed in a car with my child. Period. If you want to risk your own life, fine--but it is not okay to put my child at risk. I would let him know beforehand that you expect him to buckle up. If he refuses, get the rental car.

[honeybee]

Ugh. I am never going to let the ILs in our van without their belts again.

Anyone know how I can prevent having loose objects in a mini van??

[dallaschildren]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Ugh. I am never going to let the ILs in our van without their belts again.

Anyone know how I can prevent having loose objects in a mini van??

The lighter the better. For heavier things such as a stroller perhaps, you can hold it down with bungee cords if you have 2 spots with which to attach them. It really depends on the car. If you have a trunk, put anything heavy in there. For a minivan, stow things in the back and if your van came with a cargo net, use it.

DC

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I dont' know, I think this one is a question of weighing the real, not theoretical risks. At 5 months, your child is in a rearfacing seat, so the risk of him being injured by an adult flying around in a crash seems particularly small. Especially given the adult's probable position in the front vs. child in the rear. And its not like he's setting a bad example as your child is too young to be aware of such things yet. Frankly, I think I'd feel OK with this until the child is old enough to be aware of the example that the adult was setting.

[JessicaS]

I start making annoying small talk with dd.

"Oh...how much you love your G'pa, how sad he won't wear his seatbelt. We should enjoy his company while we can before he gets injured in accident"

*child nods in agreement* "I love my G'pa..he won't wear his seatbelt! I don't want him to get hurt!"

"We should always wear our seatbelts to be safe!"

"I always sit in my carseat!"

"Yes because YOU are very clever and want to stay safe!"

"Why won't G'pa were his seatbelt? I would be sad if he was hurt!"

"Yes, all of his five grandchildren will miss him very much!"


Dad grumbles and puts on his seatbelt.


So, since you ds is only five months I would just make annoying commentary abut how sad it will be when you child grows up not knowing his grandfather.

My sisters and I are all VERY obnoxious though..


A seatbelt saved my life. Going down the highway minding my own buisness when another car lost control and ran into me. I hit the concrete barrier. I walked away. (as did other driver who was also wearing seatbelt)

Kind of makes you less angry about accident when a HiPo tell you you just became a statistic. "A what?"

"That seatbelt you were wearing just saved your life. "

"Oh...herm.."

Since then, I am a little obsessive about it. "Excuse me uncle who was there when I was born...could you put on your seatbelt while you are in my car? I love you very much."

I love you, please wear your seatbelt always.

[intorainbowz]

Originally Posted by Evan&Anna's_Mom

I dont' know, I think this one is a question of weighing the real, not theoretical risks. At 5 months, your child is in a rearfacing seat, so the risk of him being injured by an adult flying around in a crash seems particularly small. Especially given the adult's probable position in the front vs. child in the rear. And its not like he's setting a bad example as your child is too young to be aware of such things yet. Frankly, I think I'd feel OK with this until the child is old enough to be aware of the example that the adult was setting.

If you truely believe this please, please, please go view this video on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-parC...elated&search=

BTW this is a real video, I have viewed it on a news report.

In it a driver falls asleep and rolls his car. As he is thrown about the car he first bounces into the passenger seat, then into the back seat. He lands on the rear passenger seat, with his feet in the rear driver side seat. In effect his being thrown about would have severly hurt EVERYONE in the car, including a child restrained in a rear facing seat. Had that infant been on the passenger seat he would have landed on that baby, squashing him in the car seat.

I stand by my earlier post. Say no to traveling in a vehicle where there is an unsecured person.

[Getz]

I never knew that you shouldn't have unbelted passengers in the car w/ a carseat (what rock have I been living under?). We always make people buckle up anyway, but I feel really stupid!

If your father won't buckle up then I wouldn't get in a car with him. I think it is sad that he cares more about his personal convictions than the safety of his grandchild.

[melissa1]

Thank you to everyone for all the support and advice. I talked to my mom and she did a little giggle. That was to let me know she too thought that I am being overly cautious. She said my dad won't wear a seatbelt in his own car, she has been trying to get him to for years. In all truth I feel that if she tried harder or if it was an important issue to her she could get him to as she can get him to do most things if she really wants him to. So we are either renting a car or asking DH's sister to pick us up and drive us to my parent’s house.

[CurlyTop]

Originally Posted by intorainbowz

If you truely believe this please, please, please go view this video on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-parC...elated&search=

Whoa! That was shocking, what a great visual lesson.

[Ravin]

Have your father watch the YouTube video, eh?

[bullfrog]

Originally Posted by Evan&Anna's_Mom

I dont' know, I think this one is a question of weighing the real, not theoretical risks. At 5 months, your child is in a rearfacing seat, so the risk of him being injured by an adult flying around in a crash seems particularly small. Especially given the adult's probable position in the front vs. child in the rear. And its not like he's setting a bad example as your child is too young to be aware of such things yet. Frankly, I think I'd feel OK with this until the child is old enough to be aware of the example that the adult was setting.

I don't think that the risk of being in an accident is "theoretical" - cars crash all the time right? I just really disagree with the above arguement.

When DD was newborn and DH was too cool to wear a seat belt I suggested that perhaps he would not mind being injured in an accident (or whatever the rationalle is behind not wearing your belt??), so, what if he were injured and could not help DD? He changed his mind right there and then and realized that he needed to keep safe so he could keep DD safe. :

I love when someone is being unreasonable/pig headed (not name calling - just trying to be discriptive) - the arguement is that you are being "overreactive". Can you imagine being so stubborn about something so very trivial? Even smokers have a better arguement for not quitting smoking than your dad does for not wearing his seatbelt - they're addicted!