seatbelt submariners

[pvtbuddie]

I have a young friend who cannot be convinced to wear his seatbelt right. .He always wears it with about three feet of extra room. .Do you have any pictures or stories that you would be willing share with him? .Something that could convince him, but would not be too scary for a boy who is not quite nine years old? .It would be best if his Mom and Dad could sit down with him and show him this whole thread.
Thank You,
~Buddie

[BigRich]

His parents should do their damn job of parenting. Period.

[pvtbuddie]

So why did you need to do that? I just said that, "It would be best if his Mom and Dad could sit down with him and show him this whole thread."

Also, there are reasons why parents choose to or not to fight certain battles with their kids. I'm looking for some help in eliminating the need for a fight in this situation.

[mda]

I'm with BigRich...tell the parents to grow a pair and tell the kid to wear his seat belt or strap him in themselves. I don't get this one, they're his parents not his buddy. The Pvt is correct that parents do need to pick their battles, but come on, this is a no brainer. And just to give a little credibility, my kids have been strapping themselves in since they were 4... no battles.

[pvtbuddie]

Since not one of us can make this kid always wear a seat belt, I will be grateful to anyone who is willing to post a helpful answer, and I will copy those answers and pass them on. And it is not a matter of his parents having the guts to stand up to him, either. It is simply a matter of what they choose to draw the line on.

[hawk1]

Have him speak with a road trauma patient who has been ejected from a vehicle. Your local hospital should be able to help with introductions.

I used this method in speaking with a bunch of young kids as part of a road awareness program my station was running with a number of schools in the area. Sometimes the hard facts of wheelchairs, missing limbs and other disabilities can hit pretty hard. (But I agree, the parents should have been all over this a long time ago)

[pujolsfan146]

How old is this kid?

[pvtbuddie]

He's almost nine.

[RabbitMPD]

It is simply a matter of what they choose to draw the line on.

Potentially saving his life is crossing the line? Maybe a traffic ticket will change that. Or maybe the 9 year old boy just needs to be seriously injured before they will wake up and MAKE HIM (yes, that is possible) buckle up. I'd try to convince your friend that this is certainly a battle worth fighting. Maybe you should show your friend graphic photos of 9 year old boys who are crippled for life or dead because their parents didn’t want to bother arguing about a seatbelt.

Anyway, try getting a hold of somebody from MADD or SADD. Some of the organizations have branched out from only drunk driving and now include "destructive decisions" AKA Mothers Against Destructive Decisions or Students Against Destructive Decisions. I'm sure they can provide you with some photos or ideas.

[RabbitMPD]

Driver charged in child's death

By Lauren Pack

Staff Writer

Thursday, September 28, 2006

MONROE — A short trip to the dentist ended tragically Friday for 6-year-old Jayden Mills-Caldwell when the Hamilton girl was thrown from a pickup truck as it spun several times and then flipped on a rain-slickened Ohio 4.

The girl had slipped out of her seat belt just seconds before her mother's fiancé, Robert Schuler, lost control of his pickup truck in a rainstorm. The truck flipped over and wound up in a ditch on top of Jayden, according to Monroe police.

"She unhooked (the seat belt) to get a sandal for her brother," said Skylinn Mills, Jayden's mother. "He was always kicking off those shoes and she was always fussing over her 'bubby.'"

Schuler, Mills and 2-year-old Blake Schuler received minor injuries. Jayden died Friday night despite efforts by motorists and the staff of Middletown Regional Hospital and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to save her life.

Monroe police charged Schuler, 23, 624 Fairview Ave. in Lindenwald with vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree misdemeanor, failure to control, child restraint and unsafe vehicle. He is scheduled to appear at Oct. 10 in Area III Court.

Monroe police Detective Brian Curlis said three of the tires on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado were "bald" and the 2-year-old was wearing a seat belt, but was not in a proper child seat. There was no indication Schuler was speeding, police said.

Mills said they knew one of the tires "wasn't good." When they left for the dentist's office, it was raining lightly, but intensified as they drove along.

"It happened so fast," Mills said. "(Schuler) is really upset. Blaming himself."

Several witnesses to the crash that happened about 12:25 p.m. near Roden Park Drive stopped and pushed the truck off Jayden, police said.

"I believe she was gone then. She took two deep breaths and I whispered in her ear that I loved her. I think she heard me," Mills said through tears.

Her daughter had a strong pulse at one point, but in the end she succumbed to head injuries.

"She was taken for a reason. I know she is with God now," Mills said.

Jayden, a first-grader at Pierce Elementary School, was an outgoing student who loved most subjects, especially music, her mother said.

"I know how people may look at me like I'm to blame. But I want to make sure parents understand the importance of seat belts and child seats," Mills said. "Even for just a short trip."

Source

[City Poe Poe]

BigRich hit the nail on the head. My 10 year old wears it, why, because I SAID SO!
The parents run the show, not the 8 year old. Spanking is not a sin, nor will it ruin his self esteem (TOTAL CRAPOLLA) My two year old wears his as well, because I SAID SO! The theme of “It’s not safe to ride in the car/truck without a seat belt” has been hammered into their heads since day one.
Ask these parents this question. Is it worth it to them to discipline him, causing the tyke to wear the seat belt, or have the kid continue to run the show in the car and possibly become crippled, vegetative or worse, DEAD.
It is there JOB as parents to gain compliance for his own safety. It’s Scriptural as well. (If we need to go there that is)
I'm sure there are other areas that need attention as well, not just the seat belt.
I'd rather feel an inch tall for having spanked my kids than to have a hole in my heart that can never be filled if the kiddo dies because I didn’t do what was clearly my responsibility. Know this, if they don't get control of him at 8, wait until he is 16/17, driving a car, there will be no chance of any sort of enforcement of rules. Being a parent isn’t always fun, but it’s their responsibility.
Once again, just my humble opinion.

[vtecflip]

*not a cop*
I am sorry for posting but since this isn't truly a cop question I willing to take the risk

My parents would give out fines for not wearing a seatbelt. They gave us a weekly allowance and would fine us if we didn't have our belts on after a block. Seems kinda corny but All my brothers and Sisters never had a seatbelt issue since. My parents weren't exempt from the rule either. If one of us caught them without a seatbelt after a block we would get to fine them.

The funny thing is, I took out my nephew one day and I hadn't gotten my belt on after a block, he screamed out, "You owe me $5!!"
He explained to me that his mom, my sister, gave out fines for not wearing your seat belt after a block. I smiled and dished out the $5. At least it was going to a good cause

[L-1]

See if the highway patrol in your state has a roll over demonstration vehicle. CHP has one in California. It's a pickup truck cab attached to a motor that spins it over and over. They put a dummy inside and when activated, the dummy flies half way out the window, gets hung up and then twisted like a pretzel and extremely bashed up. It's a graphic demonstration that sends the message home

[Blackdog F4i]

He's almost nine.

WTF?

It's called a leather belt. Apply generously whenever the child decides to not properly wear his belt.

That is NOT a battle that you can choose not to fight. That is assuming that the childs parents don't enjoy the though of picking their child up off the pavement after his body has been ground to hamburger.

My child has worn a belt since he left the childseat and graduated to a booster. It is to the point that he will lecture my mother about her not wearing her belt (he is 4).

[pvtbuddie]

Thank you. L-1 and hawk1, I will talk to his parents about taking him somewhere to learn what the risks are. RabitMPD, that story should be very helpful. I'm especially looking for age apropriate stories and pictures involving loose seatbelts. The fine is a good idea, vtecflip, and I will suggest it. But the rules here are a little tighter than said seatbelt. Unless it's a follow up question to an Ask-A-Cop, you're required to use the private messaging to answer posts in the restricted forums. You can either PM the original poster, or you can ask someone who's allowed to post there to post something for you.