Please be seated… and secured!
I just found out that, while I was away, a tragic accident happened on the road (article). An eight-year-old boy was killed when he was flung out of a school bus. Why? The bus had no seat belts.
The same article said that of 4000 seat belt-related offences each year, only 30 were related to child-restraints. Papa says that means less than 1% of summonses were about child-restraints. My folks think this is not because folks here believe in car seats for kiddies, but because authorities don’t crack down on offenders.
I hate to admit it, but my folks are right. I see many other kids unrestrained in cars, vans, trucks, and buses all the time… all this while I am comfortably strapped in my car seat. My folks are, unfortunately, also right about someone having to die before some action was taken. I hope that the boy did not die in vain.
But if you read what the rest of the short article said, chances are that little will be done. People are already making excuses. Like seat belts in school buses will mean higher bus fees. Is this fee higher than the cost of even one young life?
Another excuse is that kids come in different sizes and it would be difficult to make one-size-fits-all seat belts. Erm, aren’t adults of different sizes too? How come it’s the law that they belt up? I know that I am more precious (and cuter) than mama and papa combined!
The story seemed to imply that crazy drivers or uneducated passengers are to blame too. Even more reason for the child seat and seat belt laws to clearer and more strictly enforced!
Little Pessimistic Isaac
