Do you do anything if you see an infant in a car sans car seat?

[midnight armadillo]

Walking in the parking lot behind my apartment building a family from a nearby building got into their car - 8 year old girl in the front passenger (bad), ~4 month old infant in the back seat in mommy's arms (VERY bad!) It's a nearly new Toyota RAV4, and a decent car seat can be had for way less than a monthly car payment.

What would you do in this situation? Scold them? Call the police? Wimp out and glare like I did?

[LeftyMom]

1. Last time I saw that I followed the car while I called the CHP.

They looked up the plate, figured out the family was a few blocks from home, and told me there'd be an officer waiting when they got there, and thanked me profusely for calling in the report. I got the impression that they took the matter seriously enough that it might get bumped up from a traffic ticket to a neglect case, if the lady I talked to on the phone had any say.

Again, it was a brand new car (in this case a Town and Country minivan) and there was plenty of room for a car seat, and they apparently lived in a high ticket neighborhood, so these people had no financial excuse for risking the child's life.

[Lyric]

2. Well, I know the "right" thing to do would be to call

the police, but I have a serious aversion to the idea of "reporting" people. I'd probably have left a nasty anonymous note on their front door that said, "I saw you take that baby for a ride without a car seat. If I see it again--I call the cops." I know that isn't the "right" thing, but it's probably what I'd do if it actually happened. I've just seen too many people get their lives ruined when Child Protective Services got involved; I swear, it seems like once those people get involved, they never go away. It's hard to live your life under a microscope like that, and I thank my lucky stars every day of my life that I've never had to deal with them myself.

But yeah--I'd choose to err on the side of giving them a chance to avoid that kind of hell if I could.

[flvegan]

3. Call the police.

It's child endangerment and selfish on behalf of the parent. A nice little warning or ticket might teach a lesson.

[Pithlet]

4. I took down a license plate, once.

This was before cellphones were common, and this was out on the expressway. A woman sitting on the passenger side was holding a baby that looked to be about 6 months old on her lap. I don't recall having seen anything like that since. Out in public I'll only get involved with other parents if what they're doing is pretty egregious because I try not to judge too harshly, but I think driving with babies and small children without putting them in proper car seats is inexcusable.

[Critters2]

5. Haven't had the opportunity, but my sister and I once called the cops

when we saw a woman beating...and I mean BEATING!...a child in Wal-Mart. We're both mandated reporters, so it had to be done. Cops were there really fast, while we were talking to the woman. They took her and the child away. Makes one feel bad at one level, but it was by far the right thing.

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Once I approached the couple and asked if I could help them acquire one.

After that experience, the second time I saw a similar situation I kept my mouth shut and just called the police with location, description of car and tag number.

[LeftyMom]

8. I keep a stack of flyers with the contact info for SafeKids in my wallet.

I stick them on windshields when I see parked cars with seats that are obviously long past expiration or installed really wrong (infant seats facing forward, old t shield seats, crusty old seats held together by duct tape in brand new luxury SUVs, those plastic dining room "boosters" being used in cars, etc.) Luckily, I don't see so many obvious issues here anymore. And sometimes I see really great high end seats in not-so-nice cars, so that cheers me up after seeing the luxury cars with crappy old seats fit only for burning.

I once helped a lady I met in the Target parking lot install her seat, she was in tears trying, and now that I've put a rear-facing seat in an Integra I know why. :( Actually, I took her inside and got her to exchange it for a safer one (she'd bought an overhead shield seat- why do they still sell those things?!?) that was a bit cheaper, then installed it for her, and gave her the contact info to get the install checked by a trained expert ASAP.

[mainegreen]

10. You'd smile at our car then

I think the baby seat might be worth as much as the car.

:rofl:

Maybe not, but it sure seems that way.

[quip]

7. It takes a village-- Big Brother needs your help!

(you did the right thing) :hi:

[triguy46]

9. We tried something in Oklahoma a few years ago, but it died by lack of interest...

You could request a packet of postcards from the Highway Patrol and if you saw a kid in a car not in a car seat or buckled, you would write the license plate, date, time and mail it to OHP. They would send a letter to the parent saying, "Pull your head out of your ass" or something like that.

Perhaps that is too big brotherish, but it freaks me out to see kids standing in the front seat of a car going 65 mph. The laws of physics cannot be violated.

[tigereye]

11. I once saw a 5 yr old standing in the back seat going by a neighborhood I

spend a lot of time in. I was shocked to see it, I can't say I see it a lot around here.


I suppose it's better to have the cops hassle one a bit as opposed to kids being hurt or killed. :(

[Midlodemocrat]

12. No guarantee that was their car. I approach them and offer to buy them one.

Have had several people take me up on it over the years.

[midnight armadillo]

13. They live in a nearby building

I've seen them around for quite some time, so I'm pretty certain it's their car, which is always parked in that particular area.

Thanks for the tips everyone!