7 ms·

I found the ubiquitous "BABY ON BOARD" signs far more annoying. As though everyone around the minivan in question would quietly, meekly scuttle past at 5 MPH a

I found the ubiquitous "BABY ON BOARD" signs far more annoying. As though everyone around the minivan in question would quietly, meekly scuttle past at 5 MPH above the speed limit lest they disturb baby and then go right back to their Road-Warrioresque shenanigans.

rhombocombus 9y ago
I always took issue with the primacy of young children as occupants, why didn't "middle aged diabetic on board" never take off? Is my father-in-law's life less important than my kid's? Does he deserve less careful driving?
- jeffdavis 9y ago
  I read it more like "I'm a new parent and highly risk-averse. Please avoid aggressive driving near me." They probably work somewhat because people don't want to be aggressive around babies.
  - mjevans 9y ago
    I've always wondered why the parents aren't worried about /standing out/ and thus being more likely to be considered as a target? If they're truly risk adverse I'd also expect those drivers to either migrate right over to the HOV lane (far left) and use cruise control at the speed limit... or do something similar in either the non-passing lane or the second lane from the right (next to the merge lane instead of in it).
13of40 9y ago
Part of me always wondered whether it was so if there was a horrific crash people would know to dig around in the wreckage for the baby seat.
cityroasted 9y ago
I was explained that the primary purpose is so emergency responders know to look in the event of a crash.
- ThinkingGuy 9y ago
  I once asked a first responder (firefighter) if they actually pay any attention to those signs when responding to a crash. They don't.
  - brlewis 9y ago
    A professional first responder is going to look in the back seat regardless. A first-on-scene good samaritan might not. On the other hand, I've had 3 babies and never put up such a sign, despite feeling very protective of them, so my intuition may be signalling some other reason why such signs are useless.
angmarsbane 9y ago
My understanding is that the BABY ON BOARD sign is to notify emergency personnel arriving to a car accident that there is a child/baby in the vehicle who will not be able to get out of the vehicle on their own etc. Personally, I've also looked at the BABY ON BOARD signs as a heads-up that the person driving that vehicle may be more cautious or slower than other cars. I treat it like a student driver decal.
- onion2k 9y ago
  I don't believe the emergency services would check based on a anything like a "baby on board" sign. If they can check then they will, regardless of any sign. For a start, anything like that is going to fall off in a significant crash. Secondly, plenty of cars don't have them, and other cars have them when there isn't a child on board. Thirdly, a plastic sign would be one of the first things to melt if there was a fire. And lastly, if it was true then the emergency services would recommend drivers have them. They'd give them away as promotional items. No one would need to buy one. It can't be true.
  - khedoros1 9y ago
    Wishful thinking on the part of the parents. It doesn't have to actually be effective for that to be the intended use.
- dharmab 9y ago
  Similarly, I've heard that motorcyclists should not leave their passenger footpegs folded down when riding solo, as emergency responders will look for an ejected passenger in event of a crash.
  - mulmen 9y ago
    So am I supposed to weld them in place? How is something like that going to remain in place during a crash? I would find that claim slightly more believable if they were to remain up to prevent snagging the rider during a crash. My motorcycle foot pegs are mounted and hinged in a way that they fold up when they contact the ground, I believe this is typical of most motorcycles.
megablast 9y ago
The nerve of some people, asking you to drive more safely, just because they have a baby on board. I wonder if there is any stats around it actually having an effect? Do the police record the presence of such signs?
- reificator 9y ago
  I don't have a baby on board sign on my motorcycle, should I get one in order to get people to stop trying to kill me on the road? Or do I need to bring an actual baby? It's naive to think that anyone is going to drive more safely when they see one of those signs. And frankly, anyone who actually does needs to reevaluate their priorities. If you see those signs and feel the need to change your driving style, then you know intuitively that your actions are putting people at risk. Yet you continue to drive like that when there aren't babies around? Why is it acceptable to put everyone else's lives at risk except when you're told one of them is a baby?
mulmen 9y ago
To my sibling commenters: https://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/babysign.asp https://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/babysign.asp
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
electricslpnsld 9y ago
> I found the ubiquitous "BABY ON BOARD" signs far more annoying. The little customizable families with tall stick figures for adults and tiny stick figures for kids and stick figure cats/dogs drive me utterly insane, for some reason.
- dingaling 9y ago
  I saw a variation of those recently with an Imperial AT-AT attacking the family. I did laugh.
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago
  A lot of people seem to be really bothered by those, and I have no idea why.
  - otempomores 9y ago
    It shows how many people have kids and that one might miss out
  - mirceal 9y ago
    They don’t have a family and/or live an empty life? IDK, whatever you do someone is going to ge upset.
WalterBright 9y ago
Inevitably: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/1b/fc/081bfcc7d85f6bfd9740633d30f8cf51.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/1b/fc/081bfcc7d85f6bfd9740...
- mynameishere 9y ago
  Or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3fzvuRaa1A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3fzvuRaa1A
syphilis2 9y ago
Generally I'm a little more relaxed after seeing Baby on Board. "What is this crazy person doing!? - Ah, 'Baby on Board'" A reminder to have some empathy for other people on the road is something everyone could benefit from.
- DonHopkins 9y ago
  A reminder to have some empathy for ALL people on the road regardless of whether or not they have reproduced is something EVERYONE could benefit from. Empathy should not be so selective. Please drive carefully all the time.
atesti 9y ago
Nice parody (in German): http://www.der-postillon.com/2017/11/baby-an-bord.html http://www.der-postillon.com/2017/11/baby-an-bord.html translation: https://pastebin.com/CQwrTtSQ https://pastebin.com/CQwrTtSQ
mhd 9y ago
It's annoying, but I think if we're talking bad, "peeing Calvin" is the top of the heap. Garfield was intended that way by its creator, whereas that ugly bootleg decal is micturating on the legacy of Bill Watterson.
DonHopkins 9y ago
I've always assumed "BABY" referred to the driver -- a warning to expect immature behavior.

rhombocombus 9y ago

I always took issue with the primacy of young children as occupants, why didn't "middle aged diabetic on board" never take off? Is my father-in-law's life less important than my kid's? Does he deserve less careful driving?

jeffdavis 9y ago
I read it more like "I'm a new parent and highly risk-averse. Please avoid aggressive driving near me." They probably work somewhat because people don't want to be aggressive around babies.
- mjevans 9y ago
  I've always wondered why the parents aren't worried about /standing out/ and thus being more likely to be considered as a target? If they're truly risk adverse I'd also expect those drivers to either migrate right over to the HOV lane (far left) and use cruise control at the speed limit... or do something similar in either the non-passing lane or the second lane from the right (next to the merge lane instead of in it).

13of40 9y ago

Part of me always wondered whether it was so if there was a horrific crash people would know to dig around in the wreckage for the baby seat.

cityroasted 9y ago

I was explained that the primary purpose is so emergency responders know to look in the event of a crash.

ThinkingGuy 9y ago
I once asked a first responder (firefighter) if they actually pay any attention to those signs when responding to a crash. They don't.
- brlewis 9y ago
  A professional first responder is going to look in the back seat regardless. A first-on-scene good samaritan might not. On the other hand, I've had 3 babies and never put up such a sign, despite feeling very protective of them, so my intuition may be signalling some other reason why such signs are useless.

angmarsbane 9y ago

My understanding is that the BABY ON BOARD sign is to notify emergency personnel arriving to a car accident that there is a child/baby in the vehicle who will not be able to get out of the vehicle on their own etc. Personally, I've also looked at the BABY ON BOARD signs as a heads-up that the person driving that vehicle may be more cautious or slower than other cars. I treat it like a student driver decal.

onion2k 9y ago
I don't believe the emergency services would check based on a anything like a "baby on board" sign. If they can check then they will, regardless of any sign. For a start, anything like that is going to fall off in a significant crash. Secondly, plenty of cars don't have them, and other cars have them when there isn't a child on board. Thirdly, a plastic sign would be one of the first things to melt if there was a fire. And lastly, if it was true then the emergency services would recommend drivers have them. They'd give them away as promotional items. No one would need to buy one. It can't be true.
- khedoros1 9y ago
  Wishful thinking on the part of the parents. It doesn't have to actually be effective for that to be the intended use.
dharmab 9y ago
Similarly, I've heard that motorcyclists should not leave their passenger footpegs folded down when riding solo, as emergency responders will look for an ejected passenger in event of a crash.
- mulmen 9y ago
  So am I supposed to weld them in place? How is something like that going to remain in place during a crash? I would find that claim slightly more believable if they were to remain up to prevent snagging the rider during a crash. My motorcycle foot pegs are mounted and hinged in a way that they fold up when they contact the ground, I believe this is typical of most motorcycles.

megablast 9y ago

The nerve of some people, asking you to drive more safely, just because they have a baby on board. I wonder if there is any stats around it actually having an effect? Do the police record the presence of such signs?

reificator 9y ago
I don't have a baby on board sign on my motorcycle, should I get one in order to get people to stop trying to kill me on the road? Or do I need to bring an actual baby? It's naive to think that anyone is going to drive more safely when they see one of those signs. And frankly, anyone who actually does needs to reevaluate their priorities. If you see those signs and feel the need to change your driving style, then you know intuitively that your actions are putting people at risk. Yet you continue to drive like that when there aren't babies around? Why is it acceptable to put everyone else's lives at risk except when you're told one of them is a baby?

mulmen 9y ago

To my sibling commenters: https://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/babysign.asp https://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/babysign.asp

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

electricslpnsld 9y ago

> I found the ubiquitous "BABY ON BOARD" signs far more annoying. The little customizable families with tall stick figures for adults and tiny stick figures for kids and stick figure cats/dogs drive me utterly insane, for some reason.

dingaling 9y ago
I saw a variation of those recently with an Imperial AT-AT attacking the family. I did laugh.
PhasmaFelis 9y ago
A lot of people seem to be really bothered by those, and I have no idea why.
- otempomores 9y ago
  It shows how many people have kids and that one might miss out
- mirceal 9y ago
  They don’t have a family and/or live an empty life? IDK, whatever you do someone is going to ge upset.

WalterBright 9y ago

Inevitably: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/1b/fc/081bfcc7d85f6bfd9740633d30f8cf51.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/1b/fc/081bfcc7d85f6bfd9740...

mynameishere 9y ago
Or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3fzvuRaa1A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3fzvuRaa1A

syphilis2 9y ago

Generally I'm a little more relaxed after seeing Baby on Board. "What is this crazy person doing!? - Ah, 'Baby on Board'" A reminder to have some empathy for other people on the road is something everyone could benefit from.

DonHopkins 9y ago
A reminder to have some empathy for ALL people on the road regardless of whether or not they have reproduced is something EVERYONE could benefit from. Empathy should not be so selective. Please drive carefully all the time.

atesti 9y ago

Nice parody (in German): http://www.der-postillon.com/2017/11/baby-an-bord.html http://www.der-postillon.com/2017/11/baby-an-bord.html translation: https://pastebin.com/CQwrTtSQ https://pastebin.com/CQwrTtSQ

mhd 9y ago

It's annoying, but I think if we're talking bad, "peeing Calvin" is the top of the heap. Garfield was intended that way by its creator, whereas that ugly bootleg decal is micturating on the legacy of Bill Watterson.

DonHopkins 9y ago

I've always assumed "BABY" referred to the driver -- a warning to expect immature behavior.