Why do I read this sort of thing?
This article? You don't want to read it. If you have kids, you really don't want to read it, and if you have a child still in a rear-facing carseat, you really, really don't want to read it. But you probably should anyway as long as the laws about this sort of thing get more and more restrictive.
When I first ran into a discussion about this sort of incident (Salon's Broadsheet has had several lately), someone posted a few stats about the number of children killed by airbags vs. the number forgotten in a car. Something like 8 airbag-related deaths (according to an NYT article I found, only 2 of those were infants in rear-facing seats) over 10 years vs. 36 per year accidentally left in a hot car (or an average of 360 a year). Why can't we parents make the decision for ourselves about this? Apparently you can get a serious ticket for having a child in the front seat even though a lot of cars have the option to turn off passenger-side airbags. I still get pissy about the fact that you have to put your 9-year-old in a booster seat (in the back seat, of course!). Has my lack of risk aversion gone too far?
Also, pro tip: never read the comments for these types of stories. None of these people have ever forgotten anything ever and would totally pass the written exam they propose that all potential parents take in order to get a license to breed. Me? I totally see how it could happen, and it scares the shit out of me. I'm glad we're moving back where we won't have to drive much anymore.
When I first ran into a discussion about this sort of incident (Salon's Broadsheet has had several lately), someone posted a few stats about the number of children killed by airbags vs. the number forgotten in a car. Something like 8 airbag-related deaths (according to an NYT article I found, only 2 of those were infants in rear-facing seats) over 10 years vs. 36 per year accidentally left in a hot car (or an average of 360 a year). Why can't we parents make the decision for ourselves about this? Apparently you can get a serious ticket for having a child in the front seat even though a lot of cars have the option to turn off passenger-side airbags. I still get pissy about the fact that you have to put your 9-year-old in a booster seat (in the back seat, of course!). Has my lack of risk aversion gone too far?
Also, pro tip: never read the comments for these types of stories. None of these people have ever forgotten anything ever and would totally pass the written exam they propose that all potential parents take in order to get a license to breed. Me? I totally see how it could happen, and it scares the shit out of me. I'm glad we're moving back where we won't have to drive much anymore.