Yeah Yeah, Buckle Up, Whatever
Unfortunately, no. Not “whatever.” The complete opposite of whatever. TOTALLYever!
You may have seen the following video before, but it gives me great joy to see that this video has been seen over 15 million times. It makes me feel less like taking a non-stop walk into an ocean when I think about Nyan Cat having over 85 million views.
It is not possible for me to watch this video without getting misty or just full-on blubbering.
Embrace Life – Always wear your seat belt (view on YouTube) By: www.sussexsaferroads.gov.uk
A writer friend of mine (ooph.com) recently wrote about teen driving deaths and I was shocked by one of the statistics. It wasn’t that text-driving is basically like injecting 5,000ccs of adrenaline into a teen’s chances of crashing the living s**t out themselves and another driver. I knew that one.
It was that NOT WEARING SEAT BELTS is the leading reason for their car accidents resulting in the ultimate tragedy. Death. … SEAT BELTS??? Really?
Okay, I remember when I was a kid (one bazillion years ago), when they first instituted seat belt laws. My parents had us kids wear our seat belts, but it was a casual thing. Common sense. No big deal. But I resented it becoming something I HAD to do. By LAW! I got over it and grew up and am now completely “wearing underwear backwards” uncomfortable when I’m not wearing a seat belt.
I just really thought now that seat-belt wearing, culturally, was pretty much a done deal at least half a bazillion years ago. Such a shocker to read that it just… isn’t.
Of course I’ve been really unwavering about teaching my kids to do so as well. “Put your straps on.” We still say that. Not “buckle your seat belt.” It’s a carry forward from referring to the straps of the car seats we used to plop them into when they were just wee little piggies, riding all the way home.
Weirdly, I’m still not a big fan of having so many laws for every little thing, even as important as I feel buckling up is. I’ve seen a single mom given an $800 fine for her fairly-grown child being improperly restrained by a seat belt. The kid took the thing off. She learned her lesson. Yeah, that law enforcement and her fine was frigging mindless and ridiculously harmful to her. Anyways…
I do my part by trying to teach my kids to feel like they’re wearing a g-string backwards if they’re not wearing their seat belts. Now. Well before they’re old enough to slide behind the wheel of a big metal murder machine. I know they’ll do well.
– Andy
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My little guy is 3 months and will the cold weather moving in, it becomes the challenge to keep him warm without overbundling in the carseat. I know it is highly recommended to avoid large/fluffly clothing as they don’t allow for the straps to secure tightly, so I love using the carseat covers to protect baby from the cold without adding bulk to his being.
Our little one has heard about being buckled in so much that she talks about making sure her dolly is safe, insisting that we wait to move the car because dolly still isn’t strapped in correctly. Hopefully she’ll pass it on to the newborn, until then more positive reinforcement talk about how important it is to be buckled in! What a change from when we were kids, I remember we had an old car that didn’t even have seat belts in back.
My kids are 3 and 5. It’s gotten a lot harder to keep them in their seats because they don’t like being buckled down, they want to be able to move around and “get up” when there is something they want to see through the windows. Also when their toys fall down, rather than ask the front passenger to pass it, they sometimes try to reach for and they put themselves in unsafe seating positions. So, what I do is keep a small basket in the middle seat so that if they decide they want crackers, juice, or a toy, it is right there in between the both of them. They can toss in whatever they don’t want to play with or grab whatever they do want and there is no excuse for them trying to takeoff their seat belts because they don’t reach.
I keep my youngest rearfacing…and will until he is two. My older is still in a 5 point harness and will be until he reaches the height limit for the 5 point.
Our little guy is usually in and buckled up on his own before we’re in, having to fuss with the new baby and her carseat. But, if we forget to lace the seatbelt through the carseat after doing the 5 point harness part, he lets us know so his little sister is safe. It’s sweet (and an important reminder)-the carrier is bolted in and all, but the extra seatbelt provides a bit of extra stability.
This video gets me every time too. It is SO important to buckle up!!