A Note From The Author

You learn something new every day.  This month my 3-year old daughter Kelsey is going on her first class trip with her nursery school.  She’s so excited that she gets to go on the “big girl school bus.”  Mommy, however, was not as excited when I spoke with her teachers and realized that on a school bus they do not require her to be in a car seat.  I was quite surprised by this.  I always considered a bus to be no different than a car in terms of passenger safety.  So I set out to do a little research on my own. I talked to my local police department and found out that school buses are considered livery vehicles and exempt from the laws covering automobiles – therefore making car seat usage not mandatory! My daughter is small for her age, and I feel that a lap belt does not secure her enough. So I decided to follow my gut instinct and send Kelsey on her school trip with her car seat.

After hearing about the car seat I packed for Kelsey’s trip, other mothers from her class told me it had never occurred to them to even inquire about the use of car seats.  Once it was brought to their attention, even though it concerned them, they felt that since this was the way the school had always done it then it must be safe.  But we as mothers must question rules and procedures and not just “go with the flow” when it comes to our child’s safety.  It’s our job to be our children’s advocate and question standards and laws that we feel uncomfortable with.