5 ms·

I'm not sure if you caught this or not, but I think the actual key to the story is that the child in the rear seat of the car and looking out the side window at

by nkurz 5y ago

I'm not sure if you caught this or not, but I think the actual key to the story is that the child in the rear seat of the car and looking out the side window at the light for the stopped crossing traffic. Unfortunately for the anecdote, the "rear seat" part isn't mentioned until the 4th paragraph: "So I was in the back seat sitting next to Ben". I think the issue is that in the US, all children below some age must be in a car seat, and in some US states, that car seat must be in the back of the car. The author presumed that by mentioning her son was 3 at the time, that her audience would automatically understand that he was in the rear of the car. Even as an American, I didn't. I think it would make a better story if this was made explicit.

darkerside 5y ago
You ever seen a 3 year old in the front seat?
- nkurz 5y ago
  Yes. I'm 50, and grew up before the common use of car seats for children. Children of all ages would commonly ride in the front seat, or even in the back of pickup trucks. Even today, only about half the states have rules specifying that the carseats must be installed in the rear: https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ As a fun anecdote, my father grew up prior to the time that most cars even came with factory seat belts. Before taking a family trip to Alaska in the 50's, his mother read about them and demanded that her husband install them in the station wagon before the trip. So he bought straps and buckles of some sort from a hardware store, and bolted them on so that all 6 kids would have "seatbelts" for the trip.
  - maroonblazer 5y ago
    But you're 50. I'm 55, and for the large majority of my life (and presumably smaller than yours) kids were relegated to the back seat.
    - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
      Remember getting stuck with the "hump" in the middle of the floor? I guess it was only a problem if you have more than one sibling and your parents had rear-wheel drive.
      - aaron695 5y ago
    - Infernal 5y ago
      Maybe state dependent? I’m not yet 40 and recall being excited that I could finally ride up front when I turned 3.
      - darkerside 5y ago
        At 3? You've got a damn good memory
        Infernal 5y ago
        Only a handful of vignettes from 3-5 but the excitement of riding in the front seat was enough to cement that one.
    - cgriswald 5y ago
      These laws are regulated by the states and vary widely: Child Passenger Safety Laws in the United States, 1978–2010: Policy Diffusion in the Absence of Strong Federal Intervention https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899584/#!po=1.08696 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899584/#!po=1....
  - raldi 5y ago
    See also: the opening of The Simpsons
  - darkerside 5y ago
    Hmm, I know car seats weren't always as big a thing, but I think it's pretty rare these days for a 3 year old to be in the front seat. Am I the only one who would instinctively feel it was unsafe? I feel like this would have been obvious even before I had kids and was basically clueless about their safety.
- underdeserver 5y ago
  Yes. Up to a few years ago, I would often see rear facing car seats in the passenger side. It makes it easier for the driver to reach out to the toddler.

by nkurz 5y ago

darkerside 5y ago

You ever seen a 3 year old in the front seat?

nkurz 5y ago
Yes. I'm 50, and grew up before the common use of car seats for children. Children of all ages would commonly ride in the front seat, or even in the back of pickup trucks. Even today, only about half the states have rules specifying that the carseats must be installed in the rear: https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ As a fun anecdote, my father grew up prior to the time that most cars even came with factory seat belts. Before taking a family trip to Alaska in the 50's, his mother read about them and demanded that her husband install them in the station wagon before the trip. So he bought straps and buckles of some sort from a hardware store, and bolted them on so that all 6 kids would have "seatbelts" for the trip.
- maroonblazer 5y ago
  But you're 50. I'm 55, and for the large majority of my life (and presumably smaller than yours) kids were relegated to the back seat.
  - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
    Remember getting stuck with the "hump" in the middle of the floor? I guess it was only a problem if you have more than one sibling and your parents had rear-wheel drive.
    - aaron695 5y ago
  - Infernal 5y ago
    Maybe state dependent? I’m not yet 40 and recall being excited that I could finally ride up front when I turned 3.
    - darkerside 5y ago
      At 3? You've got a damn good memory
      - Infernal 5y ago
        Only a handful of vignettes from 3-5 but the excitement of riding in the front seat was enough to cement that one.
  - cgriswald 5y ago
    These laws are regulated by the states and vary widely: Child Passenger Safety Laws in the United States, 1978–2010: Policy Diffusion in the Absence of Strong Federal Intervention https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899584/#!po=1.08696 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899584/#!po=1....
- raldi 5y ago
  See also: the opening of The Simpsons
- darkerside 5y ago
  Hmm, I know car seats weren't always as big a thing, but I think it's pretty rare these days for a 3 year old to be in the front seat. Am I the only one who would instinctively feel it was unsafe? I feel like this would have been obvious even before I had kids and was basically clueless about their safety.
underdeserver 5y ago
Yes. Up to a few years ago, I would often see rear facing car seats in the passenger side. It makes it easier for the driver to reach out to the toddler.