Strollerderby : cars

Six-year-old Goes to Traffic Court

JeanneSager — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:34:00 GMT

He wasn't behind the wheel, but a six-year-old New Mexico boy was sentenced by a judge to traffic court. After all, it was his fault his mother ended up with a traffic ticket.

The boy's mom was pulled over and ticketed for not ensuring her elementary schooler was wearing his seatbelt. Rather than pleading guilty, the mom took the case to court - where she explained to the judge that nothing she does seems to get through to her son the importance of keeping the belt on.

"He took off his seat belt, I pulled over again and put it on and he took it off right in front of the cop," the mom told a New Mexico TV station. The judge agreed something had to be done - and he used his position to make it happen. He told her to take him to traffic school.

It doesn't seem to matter how on message you are with the seatbelt talk, some kids just love to rebel. We switched our daughter out of the carseat and into a booster the second she was tall enough - despite all the parents who told me they weren't as safe - because she couldn't be convinced NOT to move the chest plate down onto her belly. Every time she slipped it lower, I worried about the impact that would have on her internal organs if we were to get into an accident. The booster seat ensures she can't move the belt around, and the impact would be spread across more of her body.

Other parents say their problem is once they move into the booster seat, they can't keep their kids from the fascination of clicking the seatbelt button.

Some kids never test the limits, but there will always be that bunch who do. The best you can do is make sure you never take your kids out for a ride without the seatbelt and to always wear one yourself. I also used the cop next door as an excuse - reminding my daughter that he would have to come arrest me if she wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I'm not lying - it's essentially what happened with this New Mexico family!

The mom ended up taking her son to a seatbelt safety class - judge-approved. He's considering making future offenders and their kids take the same class, but it's not a bad idea for parents who are struggling with the problem - to prevent the ticket, and prevent a horrible accident.

Any other tips, Babble readers? What tricks have you used to keep them belted in?

Image: Edmunds

Motherproofing the Motor City

JeanneSager — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Ever wish your car was a little bit more kid friendly?

Kristin Varela doesn't just wish it. She's making it happen. The founder and editor-in-chief of Motherproof.com sat down with Babble to cover cars, kids and how her team of moms is making over Detriot for the good of parentkind.

Varela says she was getting "mommy Jell-O brain" from being home with two kids just around the time she realized it was time to go out and buy a new car. With a child in nursery school, she was looking to start a neighborhood carpool - but her two girls' carseats took up too much space in the backseat of her Subaru to make it practical.

"With two young children, the last thing I wanted to do was drive to 10 different dealerships and look at cars," Varela recalls. So she did what we all do - she went online. Only to find reviews that were family-specific for cars were few and far between. So she did her research, and Motherproof was born.

The site is now five years old and features not just cars reviews by Varela and her team of mothers but family car news, from tips on the accessories to buy and those to skip to tips on travel. And when we're talking reviews, we mean real life, "are we there yet" test drives with the kids. Varela and the other Motherproof moms keep each car for two weeks, driving it as though it IS the family car.

"Goldfish are crushed into the carpet, and cups are dumped over onto the upholstery," Varela admitted with a laugh. "It's real life mom car driving."

They'll drive any car, anywhere - from Mini Coopers to the minivan made for the prototypical soccer mom, because parents aren't one size fits all - and neither are drivers. Which is what's made Detroit listen up. Market research puts mothers' spending on cars at $83 billion a year. Moms influence eighty-five percent of all car buying choices. And dads want kid-friendly cars too - just ask the spouses/partners of some of Motherproof's writers . . . or their sons.

Adding to the success of the site are the Motherproof families. None of the parents are associated with the Motor City, nor are they professional writers - just parents with experience being parents. And they take their kids, spouses and days of driving into account in their reviews - nothing else. So they can be brutally honest, Varela says, and when they are, they pass their advice on to Detroit where she says several of the carmakers are inputting their findings into changes on future models.

When adult fingers get a mauling trying to slip into the crack in the backseat to hook a latch hook in for a carseat, Varela's crew lets the car manufacturers know parents don't want a knuckle busting. When the wireless headsets paired with the backseat DVD player are too big for kids' heads, she shoots them a line. Better still, they share it with all of us . . . so we don't have to drag two point five kids to ten dealerships looking for the right car to fit our needs.

Sound like the dream gig? Varela's looking for more moms to sign up to have a free car show up in her driveway every two weeks, so check out Motherproof.com and find out how to get your gripes and must-haves in front of the bigwigs in Detroit.

Are Pick-Up and Drop-Off Moms Killing the Environment?

JeanneSager — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:26:00 GMT

New York City is getting tough on going green. Their latest targets? Parents.

Moms and dads who leave their cars idling for more than one minute near New York City's public AND prive schools will be slapped with a $100 fine.

Mark this on the calendar, because I don't say this much. Bravo Mayor Bloomberg. Now can we spread this around the country?

I admit I've been a little guilty of this one myself of late. When it's ten below, I pull up as close to the nursery school door as possible, pop out with my daughter and run her inside - leaving the keys in the ignition the entire time What can I say, I'm a cold wuss! Although I live upstate, and the city's new law won't hit me, it's still made me give myself a slap on the wrist and vow not to do it anymore.

Every two minutes a car idles equals just about the amount of gasoline necessary to drive one mile. Gas prices might be down from the highs of last year, but in this economy, most of us could realy use the money saved on an extra mile of gas. Then throw in the environmental affects. Every gallon of gasoline produces about twenty pounds of carbon dioxide. Left to idle for ten minutes, and a car can use as much as half a gallon of gas - producing ten pounds of CO2.

Schools across the nation have started turning the buses off to cut down on pollution and fuel consumption. Studies have estimated that if every school bus in the country reduced by two minute the amount of time the engine is operating between the trips to and from school, annual emissions would drop by three hundred nineteen tons of carbon monoxide, one hundred eighty-five tons of nitrogen dioxide and just over eight tons of small particulate matter.

But while the buses themselves might produce more than a passenger vehicle, there are generally a lot more cars and trucks in the pick-up and drop-off lines than there are school buses. So how about we moms and dads get their acts together?

Image: Carbon Offset Solutions

Source: The Daily News

Infant Twins Safe After Newark Carjacking

Brett Singer — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:30:00 GMT

This is one of those nightmare stories that ends well.

A woman in Newark, New Jersey was pulling out of her driveway. She got out of her car, a 2007 Hyundai SUV, to close the gate. A carjacker jumped into the vehicle and drove off. Big problem: her 10-month-old twins were in the back seat.

I guess the thief noticed that and freaked – less than a half an hour later, the vehicle was found around the corner. The car thief, they haven't found yet.

And people wonder why I don't have a driver's license… (Actually, this isn't why. Bad joke. Sorry.)

Who says there's no honor among thieves? Even if was just a fear of stinky diapers and not honor, at least the kids appear to be fine. And maybe this person will think twice before jacking another car.

Source: 1010wins.com
Image: nj.greateststateever.com

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Nine-Year-Old Takes Car, Drives to Granny's

JeanneSager — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:25:00 GMT

A nine-year-old Japanese boy apparently decided to avoid over the river and through the woods on his trip to Grandma's house. He just hopped in the driver's seat.

The kid got caught after calls were made to police that an unmanned car was seen rolling down the street. The boy was too short to be seen from outside the car, although he apparently managed the pedals and steering just fine. He came to a stop at a convenience store when he couldn't find his grandmother's house, and police brought him home to his parents.

The boy told them he'd learned to drive by watching his dad and playing arcade games. When he saw the keys in the ignition of the family car, he decided to give it a go. His parents were warned not to leave him unattended in the future.

Since my daughter began climbing around in the car, jumping in the front seat while I unpack the groceries, I've been extra careful about removing the keys. Some parents won't even let their kids play in the driver's seat, but she loves to spin the wheel. Where do you draw the line?

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Woman leaves toddler in car while she goes to a bar

Brett Singer — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Although that sentence sounds like it's from some demonic Dr. Seuss rhyme, the story isn't particularly amusing.

Authorities say a Largo woman left a 2-year-old boy locked inside a car while she went into a bar.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reports that customers at the St. Petersburg bar saw the child sleeping in the back seat of a white sedan with the windows rolled up and doors locked early Sunday morning. Security workers at the bar called the sheriff's office.

This next part would be funny if it didn't involve a little kid. When asked by the authorities how long she had been inside the Club 54 bar in St. Petersburg, "She told them she had only been there for about 20 minutes, but other customers claimed the woman had been there for at least an hour." I have to wonder if she somehow thinks that it would be OK to leave the kid locked in the car while she had a drink if it was only for 20 minutes. Does it make her a better or worse person that she didn't come up with a good lie, like, "I just had to use the ladies' room" or something? I guess it doesn't matter. By the way, this happened at 1:00am, in case you were wondering. Also, none of the news reports I read say that this was her son.

The woman, 29-year-old Caroline Kreitz, has been released from jail and the boy was taken by Child Protective Services.

Source: mysuncoast.com

image: metromix

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Five Nonsense Kids Character Names Explained

JeanneSager — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:27:00 GMT

Sometimes the names they give to our kids’ favorite characters sound like they had a kid in on production. I mean, Pikachu? I say Gesundheit.

But listening to Mike Myers explain the Yiddish origins of everyone’s favorite ogre on NPR’s Fresh Air last week made me wonder – are all characters like onions? Do they all have layers? Thanks to my anal retentive side and too much time to spend in front of my computer, I offer up the first edition of children’s character names explained.

Shrek: According to his creator, his name came not from the swamp but the Yiddish word for “scary.” We’ll trust the former Linda Richman on that one – after all, if we ask too much she might get a little ferklempt.

Pikachu: I always thought the yellow Pokemon had a rodent-look to him, and no wonder. Pikachu loosely translates to “Electric Sparkling Mouse” in Japanese. Known for storing electric in his puffy cheeks and a tail that looks more like a bolt of lighting shooting out of his rodent rear, we could boogie woogie woogie with that description.

Lightning McQueen: Since we’re on the subject, lightning is an obvious name for a fast car. But the source of Cars’ sexy red racer’s surname is often mistaken. He was dubbed “McQueen” not for bad boy actor Steve who spent many a movie shifting gears but for Pixar animator Glenn McQueen, who died in 2002 from skin cancer.

Nemo: The movie that proved even a scaredy clownfish can take on the big bad ocean, Finding Nemo is technically named for “no one.” At least that’s the Latin translation of “Nemo.” We’ll take it from the seagulls – he might be no one, but our kids wish he was “mine, mine, mine.”

Winnie the Pooh: A secondhand name is just fine for a bear of very little brain. Winnie is short for Winnipeg, the hometown of a Canadian soldier who gave his black bear of the same name to the London Zoo. That’s where author A.A. Milne and son Christopher Robin (natch) met the friendly female who Milne later immortalized in print. Pooh, by the way, is also secondhand – it was the moniker of the real Christopher Robin’s pet swan.

More to come . . .

Image: Dan-Dare

Grand Theft Auto player saves family

Brett Singer — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

That whole "video games are bad" thing took a hit last week when an 11 year old girl named Audrey Plique helped her family get out of the family car after it rolled over on the highway. How did she know what to do in a situation like that? From playing "Grand Theft Auto."

Click on "source" below for the full story, but here are the basics: the driver, Audrey's dad, felt lightheaded and their Jeep went off the road. The vehicle, "struck a guardrail and flipped four times before coming to rest on its side in the ditch. The roof of the vehicle caved in and the back window broke out." Audrey got the family out in time: "She just knew, from playing 'Grand Theft Auto.' She saw on there that when a car rolls over, it can blow up," her mother said.

Everybody survived; only the father had serious injuries, but he is expected to recover.

Now, since I'm not insane, I don't actually think that "Grand Theft Auto" saved this family's life. That said, playing GTA also doesn't make you a killer. Good for Audrey. She should fight crime when she grows up.

Source/image: mywebtimes

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At the drive-in

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Despite being a tech-savvy early-adopter type of publication, Wired also has genuine respect for the retro. On Wednesday they asked readers to send in photos of their favorite drive-in movie spots.

Growing up in the city, drive-ins weren't a regular part of my life, but I've been to a few in my time. I never experienced them as a teenager, where, if the movies I've seen are true, there isn't much movie-watching going on. As a little kid, though, it was a fun thing to sit in the car, watch a movie along with other people sitting in their cars, etc. When you put it that way it doesn't sound very exciting. But it was fun.

Add "drive-ins" to the list of things my kids will probably never experience. Oh well. Nothing lasts forever.

Wandering 2-Year-Old Struck by Car; No Parents Nearby

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:56:00 GMT

In our attempts to bring you only the happiest news today, we have this from the heart of Napa Valley's Wine Country. A 2-year-old girl who was wandering alone outside her family's apartment at 5 in the morning was struck by a car and left for dead.

But the weird part isn't that the girl was last seen two blocks from her home at an ungodly early hour. Two witnesses apparantly saw her tottering about and did nothing. If I was out walking at 5 in the morning, the last thing I would expect to see is a 2 year old. Alone. Near a busy road. At the very least, I would stop for a moment and make sure there is a parent nearby. I can't be the only crazy, overprotective person out there, right?

In the end, the girl was found unconscience near a curb. She later died. Police are looking for a witness who may have seen the car that did this -- but the witness only told another witness about it and then walked away. What the hell people?

The 5 Scariest “Kid” Movies of All Time

Cole Gamble — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Labyrinth (1986)

When you think about it, the idea of a Muppet is inherently frightening. Felt and glass eyes lurching about in a folly of life. Ironically, the Muppets aren’t the least human thing in this movie. That honor would go to honorary space alien David Bowie. Androgynous, sparkle eyeliner wearing, spandex and mulleted, coked up, full-on Ziggy Stardust-mode David Bowie. Listen, I love this movie, but watching David Bowie sashay around in an “enhanced” codpiece for hours on end has informed (or malformed) my concept of gender types far more than I’d like to admit. Luckily, a young Jennifer Connolly is on hand to straighten things out. Did I mention I love this movie?

The Polar Express (2004)

Robert Zemeckis clearly thinks zombies are cute. Realistically animated flesh with cold, dead, dead eyes is his idea of family entertainment. And by realistic flesh, I mean realistic for a burn victim. This thing is horrifying from top to bottom; just a colossal misjudgment by Zemeckis of what human beings find enjoyable. And it’s funny because anyone who saw the preview knew it immediately. But this thing sold a ticket or two, so someone had to have walked into this picture sight unseen. Oh what must they have been thinking? “A holiday film by the director and star of Forrest Gump? Tom Hanks playing Santa Claus as well as 37 other roles? What a delightfu—OH GOD! WHAT IS HAPPENING UP ON SCREEN! I CLOSE MY EYES AND I CAN STILL SEE IT!”

Cars (2006)

Let’s see: a world devoid of humans where the machines come to life? This is nothing more than the animated version of a James Cameron post-apocalyptic fever dream. When exactly did SkyNet take over? There is no bleaker film on this list.

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Muppets make it to the list again. That Jim Henson, God bless his soul, was one dark dude. Riding high on the success of The Muppet Show, Jim took his Hollywood leverage and made this doozy for the kiddies. Miss Piggy and Gonzo loving kids and parents must have thought this J.R.R. Tolkien-like epic would be an adorable Kermit-dressed-as-a-Hobbit romp.

What they got were the Skesis, lizard bird creatures that ate other Muppets and shrieked in such a way, I still can’t get it out of my head. Then there’s the Crypt Keeper-looking Muppet who takes her eyeballs out and throws them at people. Oh and those gigantic beetle things with their skin-crawling chattering—always with the chattering.

And then there’s this:

And that’s supposed to be cute.

This movie proves one thing; Jim Henson had a very love-hate relationship with children. One moment he wants to sooth them with the clickity-clack of a tap dancing frog, the next he wants them laying in a cold sweat for yet another fear-wracked, sleepless night.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

No, I don’t mean the recent 2005 version, although that is plenty scary. Johnny Depp’s unflinching commitment to portraying Michael Jackson should alone be enough to grant a house call from CPS to any parent who dragged their kid to that one. No, I’m talking about the original (though inaccurately titled) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Look past the singing dwarves with jaundice and the constant child maulings; the fear factor in this one boils down to one scene. And you all know which scene I’m talking about. Say it with me:

There's no knowing where we're rowing / Or which way the river's flowing
Is it raining? / Is it snowing? / Is a hurricane a-blowing?
Not a speck of light is showing / So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of hell a-glowing? / Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes, the danger must be growing / 'Cause the rowers keep on rowing
And they're certainly not showing / Any signs that they are slowing!

The tunnel scene of this movie is the single most frightening sequence in all of seventies cinema. And we’re talking about a decade that brought us The Exorcist and Alien. Gene Wilder is simply brilliant in this subversive kiddie classic. One look at him and there is no way your believing this movie really is for children. Let me ask you, if Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka rang your doorbell, would you let him in? Didn’t think so. He’s the pusherman, baby. A totally Technicolor, sociopathic pimp. In one master stroke this film says, “hey kids, this is what dropping acid is like. The first time’s free. Enjoy the seventies!”

Can You Leave Your Kid In a Locked Car?

Kelly Mills — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Oh lordy, this is a doozy. A woman in Illinois parked at a Wal-Mart to put some money in a Salvation Army can. Her two-year-old was asleep, so she left the toddler in the vehicle, locked the car and walked with two of her kids and a neighbor's child about 30 feet to make the charitable contribution. When she returned to the car an officer arrested her for child endangerment and obstruction of justice. She goes to court next week.

The case has sparked responses ranging from passionate defense of the mom's actions to accusations that she's a bad mother. I dunno. I can honestly say I've never left my kid in the car, but there's reasons for this: 1) I'm paranoid, and 2) most importantly, I only have one child, which I think makes a big difference. I know my mom, with two toddlers, did leave us in the car for brief periods of time, though I don't know what age my sister and I were when she did. So I'd be interested to hear from folks, especially those with more than one child: Whaddya think of this case? Child endangerment or pretty reasonable parenting?

Teeny Tiny, Itty Bitty Tatas

Madeline Holler — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:04:00 GMT

A car company at the New Dehli Auto Expo in India lifted its shirt earlier today to expose one perky, proportioned, pert little Tata. The unveiling got the attention of high-level executives. Cheapskates around the world are certainly aroused. Today, everybody is talking about Tatas.

They are teeny tiny, itty bitty, suuuuuuuuper cheap five-person cars. Retailing at around $2,500, it's meant to get India's growing middle class off scooters and into cars. Tata's Nano runs on something like a souped up lawn mower engine, topping out at about 50 miles per hour and gets 50 miles to the gallon. But here's why I, an admitted trunk woman, am getting excited about Tatas.

The Wall Street Journal: [Tata's] Nano is part of a global race to lower the prices of entry-level cars for millions of new developing world consumers.

That's good news! Because (1) we just don't need 2 billion people driving around in massive Chrysler Escalades and (2) maybe this means we'll get some super-tiny, cheap, cheap, cheap cars for sale here in the U.S.

I want one.

For almost seven years, we have been a one-car family, which is about one car too many for the hardcore urbanite, but since we live in Southern California, I think we're doing pretty well. However! There are times when I wish we were more like a one-and-a-half car family. As my kids get older, the schedules don't always coincide. But I hesitate to spend even $10,000 on something that will sit in front of the house most days of the week. Car-sharing isn't available here.

Anyway, how about you? Are you ready to wave good-bye to the era of enormously bloated and expensive cars and usher in spare and cute wheels? What do you think of these Tatas? Think even a single carseat would fit in the back? Yeah, me either.

Baby Trapped Under Car Rescued

Kelly Mills — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:32:00 GMT

Who doesn't love a miraculous escape story? Jackie Stephens was pushing her four-month-old grandson Luke in a stroller on Christmas Eve afternoon when a car drove up onto the curb and hit them. Jackie was knocked unconscious with serious injuries, and Luke's stroller was stuck under the chassis of the car. The car was leaking fuel and threatened to ignite or collapse on the infant. So how did he escape with only minor cuts and bruises?

Simple: He depended on the kindness and quick action of strangers. Several patrons of a nearby bar heard the crash and raced out. Someone grabbed soil from potted plants and threw it on the gasoline to keep it from catching fire. Six or seven men positioned themselves around the car and quickly lifted it, managing to extract Luke from the wreck. Jackie is still in intensive care with brain damage and critical injuries, but Luke was released the next day. Jackie's husband says, "She is not out of the woods yet but it is miracle that Luke has survived. The people in that pub are heroes. They saved my grandson's life."

Kids Left in Cars. I Can See It Happening

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:02:00 GMT

After watching a news segment about a father who unintentionally left his 11-month-old boy in a car at his office, I jolted from the couch and checked on Emmeline. I knew she was sleeping. I could hear her white noise machine groaning. I was the one who tucked her in and kissed her goodnight.

But I had to see for myself. I had to know she was safe. I had to touch her hands and stroke her cheek and remind myself she was OK, even if I knew it all along. Stories like these are no longer just nightly news segments. They hit home.

And for many, many parents, they hit home much too closely. Because leaving a child in a car on a hot day happens a lot more than you think -- even with the best parents.

Since the mid-90s, when car seats were shifted to the back seat to prevent airbag injuries, cases of forgotten children have jumped, according to an Associated Press article.

Before 1995, the country had 11 heat deaths a year. Since then, it's been 36 a year. Experts say tragedy can strike anyone -- and has.

"When you look at overall who this is happening to, it's some very, very, very good parents — might I say, doting parents," says Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Cars, a nonprofit group that tracks child deaths and injuries in and around automobiles.

Interestingly, parents might not be treated the same in the eyes of the law. Moms are more likely to receive prison time, even though moms and dads are convicted at roughly the same rates, according to an analysis of car seat deaths.

But let's work on never getting there in the first place. Please share your tips on making sure you don't leave a little one behind. You may help someone who doesn't even know he or she needs it.

Cars and Kids=Trouble

Kelly Mills — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:26:00 GMT

The Automotive Coalition on Traffic Safety surveyed 900 parents, and learned that most parents underestimate the risks of cars to kids. For example, two-thirds thought it was unlikely a child would die from heat after being left alone in a car, when it turns out that kids' bodies heat up faster than adults, and so far this year at least five kids have died from heat stroke after being left unattended in a ride. The president of the coalition says, "Kids are run over in driveways and parking lots, suffer from hypothermia, they put a car in motion while playing, are strangled by power windows, or trapped in the trunks of sedans."Yeesh. Now even my crappy old mom car is looking like a death trap to me.

Obviously we need to do the basics: buckle up, hold hands, and exercise caution around streets and driveways. But this issue of leaving kids in cars is a temptation I'm sure many parents have felt. You know, kids are asleep or tired, the hassle of dragging children out of the carseats seems like such a pain and you are only going to run in for a second... Of course the consequences if something goes wrong are so awful, it really isn't worth it. When I was small, my sister and I were alone in a car and accidentally kicked it into neutral, and slowly began rolling down a slope. I leaped out of the car and tried to push it back up the hill (that's kid logic for you.) Luckily we were both fine, but the experience stayed with me. Now my kid is forced exit the vehicle and come everywhere with me, which is sometimes a real drag, but ultimately gives me way more peace of mind.

The Volkswagen Barbie Beetle: A Car For Your Inner Child

Patti — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:26:00 GMT

As with anything really freaking cool that I want really badly even though I know it's totally dorky and all my friends will make fun of me, Volkswagen's limited edition Barbie Beetle is only available in Mexico. And there's only going to be thirteen of them. I might have the only partner in the world who would support my desire to camp out in front of Volkswagen of Guadalajara in hopes of buying one at $24k plus, but he probably wouldn't go so far as to take off work for it, and then who'd watch the kids? I'm too lazy to get them passports and bring them along.

My Spanish is just crappy enough that I can barely figure out where the VW dealerships are in Mexico, much less which lucky dealers will be flogging this bakers' dozen of cupcakes on wheels. I am fluent enough to wonder why the heck VW doesn't sell SportVans in the US, although it doesn't come in pink anyway so I don't know why I care.

You know, we've got all those cars wrapped in advertisements here--I must see a Red Bull PT Cruiser every day on the freeway. How come we can get paid to drive around in a Snapplemobile but I can't pay them to drive a Mitsubishi Hello Kitty car? Where's the licensed character love for the US auto market? I'm honestly just a little bit disappointed in Mattel, Disney et. al for not following up on this market. A very little bit, but still.

(via BlogHer)

Oregon May Ban Kids from Riding in the Front Seat

JasonAvant — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:34:00 GMT

If your kid likes riding shotgun, you may not want to move to Oregon. The Oregon House Judiciary Committee is reviewing a bill that would revise some of the state’s rules on where and how kids can ride in the car. Among other changes, children under 13 would be required to ride in the backseat. Not a bad idea, in my opinion. Proponents of the bill argue that the chances of grievous injury and death increase dramatically when young kids are in the front seat. One study cited indicates that kids riding in the back are 37% less likely to suffer fatal injuries if an accident occurs. The bill would also tighten up height/weight requirements for booster seats, and would require infants under 12 months to ride in a rear-facing safety seat. (Hate to kick you when you’re down, Britney, but INSERT OBLIGATORY BRITNEY-AVOID-PORTLAND JOKE HERE)

While the bill met with no opposition from committee members, there were two who had some concerns. Rep. Jeff Barker was worried that his 89-year-old mother often rode in the back because, per the article, she was “smaller and more fragile” than a young kid might be. (To which I say, she’s 89; that’s a nice amount of time to have spent on this earth, so enjoy the view from the front, grandma.) Rep. Wayne Krieger was concerned that kids like his son, who weighed more than 200 pounds when he was twelve, might not fit in the back seat. (To which I say, um, a 200+ pound 12-year-old? Uncomfortable silence ensues.)

Could Your Family Kill Its Car? This Guy's Did

thezeroboss — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:34:00 GMT

I was reading The Stranger's blog today, and came across this intriguing write-up about Alan Durning, who has reported on his family's attempt to go one year without owning a car. What's interesting about Durning's case is that most of these attempts at going carless are performed by single people, or by DINKs (dual income, no kids). And yet or the past year, Alan and his wife Amy have transported themselves and their two kids everywhere - work, the store, soccer practices - using a combination of pubic transit, FlexCar, and plain ol' walking and biking.

How did they fair? Pretty well. Alan laments, though, that traveling without car ownership requires a lot of planning, and that most of the burden unfairly falls on his wife. Still, he's optimistic about the future, and sees more and more families trying to brave it without an auto.

Given that my car is currently in the shop for thousands of dollars of repair work, I have to admit that this is a tempting challenge. Still, we live in the 'burbs. Ditching the car might be an option if we lived in downtown Manhattan. But I can't see spending several hours planning a trip to the store to buy vodka. Has anyone else in the 'burbs attempted the carless life? How many of you city dwellers manage family life without wheels?

Kansas Bill Would Fine Parents Who Leave Kids in Cars

Karen Murphy — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:12:00 GMT

Kansas is mulling over a bill which would allow police officers to assess a $25 fine to parents of children left alone in cars, unless the children are over eight years old or are supervised by another child of at least 12. The fine is being proposed as an alternative to the current choices a Kansas police officer has when confronted with a child left in a car: that of "scolding" the parent upon their return, or taking the child into custody and charging the parent with reckless endangerment of the child. Subsequent offenses would result in a much larger fine.

Although I tend to be one to decry over-legislation, I understand the concern here of preventing deaths from exposure to heat in a closed car. Two Kansas children have died in this way in the past 9 years. The fine seems a middle-ground alternative to the option of charging a parent for something my parents did without thought or needful concern when I was growing up, in a time when it was a lot more "okay" than it is now.

Need More Quality Family Time? Get in the Car!

Karen Murphy — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:51:00 GMT

Another page from the book of Tell Us Something We Don't Know: parents spend a lot of time in the car with their kids! SC Johnson (makers of handy things to have in the car with kids, like Ziploc bags and, uh, Ziploc bags) created this semi-suspect survey to make us feel better about the time we spend driving around with our kids. For one thing, it's like a part-time job - 90 percent of parents and guardians report spending up to 20 hours per week in their car with their children. Yikes! So that's where the time goes!

Most of that, the survey reported, was spent in going to doctor/dentist appointment and restaurants, and of course, schools. I personally have spent over 2000 hours in the past 7 years in the car with my kids. (ohhh, I think I'm getting carsick. Pass me a Ziploc bag, willya?)

So what do we do with all that time? It looks like it's being wasted, either that or we're multi-tasking, as mostly there's a lot of listening to music going on, and of course eating (which seems to be a major player in my car, judging by the state of the seats and the floor in the ~~Cheerio Zone~~ back), IMing, and DVD-watching.

So I say let's take back our cars, let's take back our time with our kids, and let's invent something to do with them while driving that doesn't involve license plates, Twenty Questions, or anything that sounds remotely like E-I-E-I-O. Any ideas? How do you pass the time in your car with your kids?

"Bling Dust" to Revive Minivans? Chrysler Hopes So

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:07:00 GMT

Chrysler wants to pimp its rides. MP3 players, digital dashboard photo screens, bulked-up grills ... "bling dust" (I wish I was joking) -- this is the next phase of the minivan. Chrysler exec Ralph "minivans are sexy" Gilles says he wants to instill some "virility" in the suburban assault vehicle. Unless he's including Viagra in the glove compartment -- it's a lost cause. Because, plain and simply, it's. a. minivan.

Remember when "Get Shorty" tried to make them look cool? It worked for about a half-hour, as people thrilled at automatic sliding doors. Then they remembered just what the vans are for: toting as many toddlers as possible to parks and soccer matches. It's tough to be cool when your car is coated in rice cake grime and smells like a sour milk factory, even if the doors do open themselves.

But Chrysler is trying. It's next wave of minivans are designed on the same schemes as its popular 300C sedans, a car of choice for rapper 50 Cent, according to a recent Newsweek article. Says Gilles, "We asked ourselves, 'How can we sprinkle some of the magic bling dust from the 300C on the minivan?'" Bling dust? If that's the future of the minivan, it doesn't have one -- because all anyone wants in a minivan is room for nine strollers, a comfortable captain's chair and a soundproof wall.

Teen Driver Crashes When Fake Baby Loses Its Shit

Dad Gone Mad — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 12:00:00 GMT

In the ridiculously named town of Pleasanton, CA, they give high school kids "realistic-sounding baby dolls" to teach them what it's like to be a parent. This represents a quantum leap from when I was in high school in the late 80s. We had to carry around a raw egg for a few days, pretending it was our baby, and if the egg broke, the kid was a goner.

But up in Pleasanton, the "realistic-sounding" doll thing wrought major havoc on one 17-year-old girl: she swerved her car into a freeway guardrail and slammed into a pickup truck after the doll in her care suddenly began to cry.

"The teenager had just picked up the doll as part of a school project on responsible parenting minutes before the accident occurred Tuesday on I-580, said Steve Creel, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol."

"No one was seriously injured in the crash, but the CHP will pursue charges because the girl was driving without a license, he said."

I'm fascinated by this story because I wonder exactly how realistic this doll could have been to make the kid crash her Mini Cooper. According to the story, "The educational doll cries and wets itself and has a recording device that monitors how long it takes the doll's "parent" to respond to its crying."

Cries and wets itself? That's it? Hardly realistic. If they wish to show these high schoolers what being a parent really looks like, they should add the following features:

When the baby is in the car seat, make it poop. And make it one of those loose baby shits that pour out its diaper and drench the whole onesie in Hershey Squirt.
Make the baby fascinated by everything dangerous, like electrical outlets and small shiny things and steak knives.
Make the baby want to watch Sesame Street every waking minute of every god-damned day, so much so that the teenager will develop a white-hot hatred for that Elmo motherfucker and fantasize about scooping out his furry red trachea with a spork.