Child safety -

[Tony F Dordogne]

On the way back from Bordeaux yesterday, had the misfortune to see a Brit car, R reg Land Rover/Discovery from the Colchester area (spare tyre cover), pulling a trailer, round the Rocade and onto the A89, Bordeax to Perigeaux road. 

Apart from the speed he was frequently driving at, in the back of the car there were two kids, about 6/8 who weren't strapped in.  That was obvious because they were standing up, playing in the back etc.

Two children were killed in this area in June who weren't strapped into the car in which they were travelling and which was involved in an accident.  Dad (who survived) is being prosecuted for involuntary homicide and now potentially faces a lengthy prison spell as he was responsible for the safety of the kids.  Gendarmes have said that had Mum survived (unfortunately she didn't) she would also have been prosecuted, don't know what for or details.

And had the car yesterday have been stopped by the G men/women for any reason, Dad would have faced a hefty on the spot fine for the child safety/centeur (?sp) offences.

I've seen the devastation that not using seat belts causes up close and personal this past three months - a bit of thought while driving may save (a) a financial penalty and (b) the anguish that the driver of the car in the accident here is now going through but more importantly, the lives of the two children involved yesterday.

Sorry if this sounds preachy, just want to highlight a problem that we seem to see only to often round here.

[powerdesal]

Tony,

You are not being preachy at all.They wouldn't (shouldn't) do it in UK so why in France?

Here in the Emirates we have the same seat belt laws but its not unusual to see babies / toddlers on the lap of the front seat passenger (and even driver sometimes), we refer to them as 'human airbags'. I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted here for this but with the increasing use of heavily tinted windows its possibly difficult for the Police to see (even assuming that they care!!)

My children and now subsequently the grandchildren know that if they are not strapped in the car does not move and its probably the worst offence in the family to remove a seat belt whilst moving. Its all down to education in the end. Maybe I feel too strongly about it but I make no apologies for a rigid attitude.

Regards

[Sunday Driver]

Could the problem stem from the fact that people tend to view their cars more as mobile lounges/offices/holiday charabancs, rather than metal/plastic/glass structures which are capable of partial disintegration in a collision, with the resultant potentially catastrophic impact on the occupants?

How many people effectively choose their cars on the basis of cosmetic design, interior fabrics, in-car entertainment, climate control, etc. without specifically taking into account the results of crash test statistics and safety reports?

Of course, current standards of vehicle design and construction give greater levels of protection, but does this merely serve to instil a sense of invulnerability when driving? A car driver does not generally expect to crash or to be hit by another vehicle during their everyday driving, unlike, say, a motorcyclist would regard himself as being highly vulnerable to both events.

So, if it isn’t going to happen to them, do people lose sight of the dangers of not ensuring their passengers are properly secured in the event of a crash?

Until it does happens to them, do people have any concept of what it’s like to see their six-year-old child hurtling past their left ear and through the windscreen with the force of a baby elephant?

Or are the seat belt regulations just another one of those finicky driving restrictions (like not being allowed a few bevvies, or not exceeding the speed limit, or not using our mobile phones) which we don’t really need to follow – unless, of course, we get caught.

Or we crash……

 

[Rob Roy]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

Could the problem stem from the fact that people tend to view their cars more as mobile lounges/offices/holiday charabancs, rather than metal/plastic/glass structures which are capable of partial disintegration in a collision, with the resultant potentially catastrophic impact on the occupants?

How many people effectively choose their cars on the basis of cosmetic design, interior fabrics, in-car entertainment, climate control, etc. without specifically taking into account the results of crash test statistics and safety reports?

Of course, current standards of vehicle design and construction give greater levels of protection, but does this merely serve to instil a sense of invulnerability when driving? A car driver does not generally expect to crash or to be hit by another vehicle during their everyday driving, unlike, say, a motorcyclist would regard himself as being highly vulnerable to both events.

So, if it isn’t going to happen to them, do people lose sight of the dangers of not ensuring their passengers are properly secured in the event of a crash?

Until it does happens to them, do people have any concept of what it’s like to see their six-year-old child hurtling past their left ear and through the windscreen with the force of a baby elephant?

Or are the seat belt regulations just another one of those finicky driving restrictions (like not being allowed a few bevvies, or not exceeding the speed limit, or not using our mobile phones) which we don’t really need to follow – unless, of course, we get caught.

Or we crash……

 

[/quote]

I think you are quite right SD. My husband has probably seen more crashed cars than most as he was/is a panel beater. He would always look at the cars we bought from the point of view of quality of build (or how easy they would be to repair[;-)]) and would often tell me I could not have this car or that one for those reasons. This also served a very useful purpose when our eldest son started to drive as he had seen enough damaged cars in scrap yards and garages when out with his dad to know the results of drinking and driving, careless driving etc.