Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Perez Hilton asks, "Is this Safe... Or Legal?"

The answer: No and no.

Normally I would not link to (or read) Perez Hilton. But this one's right up my alley. Anthony Kiedis, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, went riding in his Gem car with his infant strapped to his chest in a front carrier.

Boo! Hiss!

The Gem car is a smart car from GM; it has seatbelts and is a street-legal vehicle. As such, it falls under the California law that says that all children must be in a properly used carseat or booster in the back seat (unless the vehicle does not have a back seat or does not have belts in the back seat or the seat otherwise cannot be properly installed in the back seat, in which case they may be in front) until they are 6 years of age or 60 lbs. It is neither a bus nor a motorcycle, which are the only exceptions other than standard medical, etc. exceptions; it is a citable offense. Also, he needs to be wearing that seatbelt himself, it's also the law.

Other than being illegal, it's unsafe. If in a crash, if they were both not ejected from the vehicle (which is likely to cause death or serious injury), he would probably be thrown forward into the steering column, and the baby would be crushed against it. The baby would be likely to die, and he would probably suffer severe internal injuries himself.

Get a clue, Anthony! Get safe for yourself and your son, that's way uncool!

And where's the CHP when you need them? Or the LAPD? Someone write the man a ticket and make him learn how to be safe in the car!

1 comment:

Jennifer Swanepoel said...

I am truly, utterly, astounded at the ridiculousness of people in general.