Sad thing is, this sort of thing happens across the USA. I know the older folks out there will say "heck, I dont know how I survived all this time not beng buckled as a baby". I understand where you are coming from but strictly from a statistical standpoint, many children did indeed die from being unbuckled or being held by a parent in a passenger seat (or the drivers seat in this case).
There are cases where kids have died as a result of being strapped in a car while it was on fire but that is the exception to a rule that has proven itself. Don't listen to Aunt Bessie who proclaims to know better than the statistics that prove her wrong.
If anything, Britany did as huge service to the cause of child safety for buckling them up correctly and making sure their safety trumps your comfort, even if it did endanger her child (poor thing...ugh).
To many times have I heard stories of parents thinking they can hold their baby better than a car seat. To many times have I heard parents screaming of inconveniences of putting a child in a car seat and how time consuming it is. They are wrong, holding your baby in a crash is equal to holding a 300-400 lbs bag of sugar while bungy jumping. Good luck holding on.
The guilt of knowing better but still not following through on the general principal of a parent taking all measures to protect your child in an automobile in the name of convenience has to be beyond all understanding. But the guilt is well deserved.
I always battle with myself over seatbelt laws for adults in cars but for children, there is no alternative. Telling your kids what to eat or how to act is totally different than telling you that you must use a safety harness on your children to maximize chances of a positive result in a negative event such as a crash. Doing less is nothing short of child endangerment.
You may disagree with me but millions of children no longer among us who was not afforded the same precautionary measures and have gotten the raw end of the deal would stand in opposition to you.
Mind you im not calling anyone bad parents. At worst Im calling out ignorance on the subject and I beg you to read up on information that details the results of crash at even 25-30 mph to a child without proper restraint.
I couldnt look at another picture of my child and not feel like I killed them if they were killed as a result of my negligence of not taking their safety seriously enough on even the shortest trip to the store of school.
I submit that it is more dangerous and stupid to feed your child a Happy Meal and sugar-ladened soft drink 4X a week than to do what BS did....if in fact it was an aberration in her motherly routine.
But sir, do not not understand that in the 1950s parents let their kids ride on the front bumper of the car while they drove down the highway? Did you see any of those kids get hurt???? NO! The fact of having kids in their seats, and buckled in, is a result of foolish laws that are restricting OUR freedoms! My children love to sleep on my dashboard when we go on trips. I will never force them into a seat harness. They are not animals!
Britney is a hero in my book!
There you go again-using logic to make a point.