Thankfully, there are very few parents in this world who ignore the law to the extent that Josh Powell did when he intentionally blew up his home killing himself and his two young sons yesterday afternoon.
That kind of incomprehensible evil goes beyond the realm of laws, rules and morality.
However, a new study shows that an alarming number of parents often ignore laws designed to protect their children, without giving it a second thought.
The research, which was just published in the journal Pediatrics, reveals that 25% of parents don’t use car safety seats for their children ages 4 to 8. Even more shocking is that nearly 40% of parent respondents say they don’t require that their children buckle up when other kids are riding in the same vehicle without a booster. Finally, the study found that only about 20% of parents would ask another parent transporting their child to use a booster seat.
For the record, 29 states and the District of Columbia require children 7 and under ride in safety seats, including boosters. (Tennessee and Wyoming have the nation’s toughest booster laws, requiring children ride in a booster until they’re 9.) However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children use a booster seat until they’re 4 feet, 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old.
If you carpool frequently, then you likely comply with the law, since you are used to driving around with multiple young children in the back seat. Unfortunately, according to the new study, many parents, who offer to give other kiddos a ride on a moment’s notice, fail when it comes to figuring out the logistics of arranging boosters for all child passengers, so they simply break the law.
Researchers say peer pressure is another reason so many young kids are being driven around without the use of proper safety restraints. Think about it: How comfortable do you feel about approaching other parents about using a booster seat for your child? Are you afraid to insist that your child be strapped into a booster because you don’t want to inconvenience the parent behind the wheel? Or, do you feel weird if you demand that your child ride in a booster when the other mom doesn’t make her kid ride in one?
Or, are you like me, and throw pride out the window, carry a spare booster in your trunk, and politely hand it over to a carpooling parent with firm instructions about your kid using it?