> For crying out loud, the NTSB is trying to get legislation passed
> that would outlaw children 12 and under from riding in the front
> seats of automobiles. What next?!?
Taz,
As a parent of a 3 year old and the ex-husband of a woman who has had her license suspended many times because of the points accumulated by speeding tickets, let me tell you that I am very much in favor of requiring my kid NOT to be permitted to ride in the "suicide seat." The front passenger seat is the most leathal location in auto accidents. It is the last place I would want my son to be. Also, consider that many people who place a child that location become distracted while driving and can become embroiled in or the cause of an accident. (True, there are some who can handle that just fine, but not many.)
Insurance companies have been decrying placing young children in the front seat for years. The NTSB and the Highway Admin. have been recommending parents not do it at least as long.
Many parents still do not take heed of the warnings. They are typically the first to sue everyone within reach when the unthinkable happens and their child is injured in an accident. If the parents won't act responsibly for the safety of their children, then government regulation is a viable alternative.
I don't care for as much government regulation as we have now. I find much of it to be intrusive. I have a problem though with the notion that we are free to do anything no matter how stupid. My position is we should be free to be as stupid as we want to be when it only affects ourselves, but if just one more is endangered by our (in)actions then the regulation can be justified.
There. That's my $.02 worth.
Koala