Car Pool : Not an Excuse to Forgo Car Seats

National research is suggesting that it is not unusual that when extra kids are added to the ride, they are often not all buckled unsafely. Medicine New Today found:

(That University of Michigan's (U-M's) CS Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor's) national survey in the US, found that although most parents make sure their children use a life-saving booster seat in the family car, they tend to forego booster seats when carpooling. The experts suggest shortage of space in cars and the difficulty of making arrangements with other drivers are the main reasons parents do this.

This is troubling because it is a case of convenience or immediacy taking the place of safety. I'm positive that there are very many rationales:

– I'll drive slow.

– It's a short trip.

– We will stay to safe roads.

The research went on to suggest that 30% of people don't enforce the use of safety seats in other people's car even though they use them in their own car. Is the concern of having a confrontation greater than making sure your kids are safe?

Here are some other posts we have had about booster seats:

For Two Years: Keep Child Safety Seats Rear Facing, Mike Bryant | March 25, 2012 4:09 PM

Does my Teenager Need a Booster Seat??, Joe Crumley | July 28, 2009 3:03 PM

Booster Seats Through Age Eight, Mike Bryant | April 09, 2009 9:02 AM

Need Help With Buying A Child Car Seats?, Mike Bryant | May 30, 2010 9:58 AM