We were driving along when our car began to slow, mom pulling over to the side of the road. Silence, except for the hum of the engine. Uh oh, I thought, someone’s in trouble. Without turning around mom calmly said, “The car doesn’t work without seat belts”. My heart beat a little faster. How did she know? I slowly reached down and re-buckled my lap belt. The ‘click’ it made was so loud. Mom pulled back onto the road and we were on our way again.

“This car doesn’t work without seat belts.” was repeated to us so many times that any trip in the car didn’t seem right if  we didn’t hear it. It became so engrained in me that when I began transporting children in my own vehicle or for field trips, I found myself saying something similar. While it seemed nearly impossible to get comfortable while wearing a seat belt, we certainly survived. Today, with almost all seats having a shoulder strap, there are several adjusters to help provide a more comfortable fit.

I guess when I was very young, the rule about seat belts only applied when we were IN the vehicle. Pickup truck beds and wood-piled trailers didn’t really count. 🙂 Story coming soon.

Safety in and around vehicles is very important, especially for children. Arizona has updated the child restraint laws and recommendations recently. You can check them out here.

Feel free to share your own transportation stories in the comments below.