You can't fix stoopid.....

[thekid65]

Another case of people expecting big brother to help us protect ourselves, from ourselves. A sad story indeed:

Click

However, it is not the auto industries problem to add extra equipment and cost (which of course will be passed on to us) to their product in order to protect ourselves from doing something dumb. In this case, how about you turn around, make sure both your children are in the car and buckled up before you back out of your parking space? Simple enough, yes?

[HairOfTheDog]

I've reluctantly become part of the early risers club; coffee is nectar.

Sad story.

I understand the regulations regarding safety belts and car seats (though it's sad, to me, that it took laws to ensure that they're consistently used). But, in the OP case, the children aren't even in the car when their safety is jeopardized.

I think it should be the auto industry's choice regarding if/when to add these new rear view cameras; government shouldn't be involved in mandating or regulating it.

The best way to solve the problem with or without the extra camera features is for drivers to simply pay more attention to where their toddlers (and everybody else) are located before backing out of the driveway, as Kid suggested.

Or, another novel concept: drivers can stop buying models which they can't see or operate effectively. You know, people taking responsibility for their own purchases and safety. If a model isn't attractive/selling because it's deemed unsafe, good old fashioned free market competition and feedback can motivate manufactures to adjust.

I'm growing more frustrated with what seems a knee-jerk mentality to ask the government to fix every life problem or tragedy that arises; the declining sense of personal responsibility is troubling to me and the cost of having government involved in so many facets of social life is crazy.

[thekid65]

I'm growing more frustrated with what seems a knee-jerk mentality to ask the government to fix every life problem or tragedy that arises; finding the declining sense of personal responsibility to be troubling and the cost of having government involved in so many facets of social life to be crazy.

Welcome to the early risers club! There's not too many of us except Duchess, and those in other countries.

HEAR HEAR on what I quoted..this too, is a huge frustration of mine.

Edit: I meant to add, while I agree that 200+ deaths happen with people backing over children every year sucks, and I couldnt imagine the guilt feelings I'd have if that happened to me, when you look at the big picture how many people back out of their driveway every freaking day, several times a day? 200 incidents makes the occurrence rate extremely low, and we want to force an industry to account for that? And ALSO be responsible for lawsuits when said product fails for whatever reason?

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm growing more frustrated with what seems a knee-jerk mentality to ask the government to fix every life problem or tragedy that arises; finding the declining sense of personal responsibility to be troubling and the cost of having government involved in so many facets of social life to be crazy.

Welcome to the early risers club! There's not too many of us except Duchess, and those in other countries.

HEAR HEAR on what I quoted..this too, is a huge frustration of mine.

The early risers club is mostly a holiday gig for me. Every year, between Thanksgiving and New Years, there are more serious work emergencies and deaths. It's sad and means a couple of hours away from the phones and computer at a time to sleep, when the opportunity arises.

It's temporary and it's my job, but since it's not pleasant, I'm thinking of writing my congressman to see if some regulations can be put in place to make it easier on me.

Hope your Christmas brunch was excellent and that your cute buddy got what he wanted in his stocking.

[Duchess]

I had the same reaction when I read this story yesterday. Once again this all comes back to personal responsibility. Force people to take responsibility for their own actions. It's horrible that woman backed over her own kid but Jesus Christ it's no one's fault but her own. My opinion of her is colored by her bullshit, I think she's a ridiculous cow.

[thekid65]

Hope your Christmas brunch was excellent and that your cute buddy got what he wanted in his stocking.

It was indeed. I make a mean omelet, if I do say-so myself. However, as to Buddy....yes, he got what he wanted, BUT I've had to ask Mr. Claus to get his fat-ass back here, as clearly he made a mistake. The toy was NOT supposed to squeak!

[HairOfTheDog]

I had the same reaction when I read this story yesterday. Once again this all comes back to personal responsibility. Force people to take responsibility for their own actions. It's horrible that woman backed over her own kid but Jesus Christ it's no one's fault but her own. My opinion of her is colored by her bullshit, I think she's a ridiculous cow.

She seems to be in denial about it being her responsibility, or she's just looking to alleviate the personal burden by blaming the car and talking about how it's happened to so many others. "It's not my fault" mentality is what I'm getting from her. She didn't know where her very sick four year old was when she pulled away from the house. It's sad and I feel badly for her, but that's the bottom line.

Hope your Christmas brunch was excellent and that your cute buddy got what he wanted in his stocking.

It was indeed. I make a mean omelet, if I do say-so myself. However, as to Buddy....yes, he got what he wanted, BUT I've had to ask Mr. Claus to get his fat-ass back here, as clearly he made a mistake. The toy was NOT supposed to squeak!

How are you with hashed-browns, fried eggs, and biscuits with gravy? It's a twice or three times a year splurge for me; love it. A good omelet with cheese, chili, salsa, avocado and a side of sour cream is up there too.

I'm glad that Santa picked a squeaker. Go Buddy! Somebody's gotta keep you on your toes....

[thekid65]

How are you with hashed-browns, fried eggs, and biscuits with gravy? It's a twice or three times a year splurge for me; love it. A good omelet with cheese, chili, salsa, avocado and a side of sour cream is up there too.

I'm glad you got accidently got the squeaker. Go Buddy! Somebody's got keep you on your toes....

I'm an outstanding breakfast cook, did it for almost 7 years prior to what I do now. I love breakfast, will make it for any meal. Actually, I'm a good cook, period. Believe or not, I can even make sammiches.

I couldnt believe it when I gave him the toy, and within a matter of minutes hearing the "squeak, squeak, squeak". Toy magically disappears at bedtime.

[ramseycat]

It's not the card fault. How cod she not notice her NINE year old behind the car??? Ya know I'm not mother of the year, but I have never backed over one of my kids. I have never forgotten they were in the car either.

[Jimbone]

What drove me crazy about the story is that the part about the irresponsibility of the driver was added at the END OF THE ARTICLE. This woman is likely such a dolt that she probably would have ignored a back up camera as well.

Simple fact is that if she turned her fat neck around to see that both kids were in the car - then made sure they were safely buckled in - her daughter would be alive today.

[HairOfTheDog]

Kid,

I rarely eat breakfast in the morning (mostly because I prefer sleep to food), but love breakfast for brunch or dinner. I usually go out for it rather than cooking it, but homemade breakfast is a real treat. My dad served in the air force and used to make "shit on a shingle" on the weekends. Just beef-grease gravy on a piece of wonder bread, but damn it was good.

On topic:
I think that the ever-expanding entitlement programs, economic deficit, and increasing cries for government intervention over the last several years are part of the reason that I find someone like Ron Paul much more attractive than I would have a decade ago. I'm pretty socially liberal and actually do believe strongly in helping others when it's needed; I try to put my money where my mouth is in that regard. And, I don't agree with Paul's stance on religion in schools, nor his view on never getting involved in protecting or engaging outside of our own borders and air space. BUT, I completely agree with his stance on taxes, the vital but limited role that the federal government should play in society, and his contention that we need to restore a sense of personal responsibility and protect our personal liberties in this country.

ETA: I misread the story and thought the daughter was 4 at the time of the accident. She was 9, as rams noted. But the piece highlights "toddlers" ending up in emergency rooms as support of this problem; even weirder.

[username]

I rose early at 8:00a.m.!

That's totally stupid! I mentioned recently when I was car shopping that there was an option for my car where it would sense if you were closing in on something too fast and tug on your seatbelt and then apply some braking for you. I passed but maybe that will be legislated next.

The time is not far off where all of our cars will "sense" each other, you'll get in the car, plug an address in to a navigation system and the car will drive you there.

I wonder if that will make DUI's a thing of the past.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, go crawl back under the covers again then, grumpy.

Seriously, if technology and the market leads to cars basically driving themselves, that's great.

If instead the government dictates what features auto manufacturers must offer because some 200 people a year don't realize that their children are behind their cars when they put them in reverse, that's off-base and just plain sad.

[OnBendedKnee]

Government makes kids wear orange dayglow vests when parents IQ dips below 80.
Problem solved.

[username]

It's like putting "caution hot" on a cup of coffee or "don't place bag on head".

Dumb regulations fuck up natural selection.

[OnBendedKnee]

The problem is the mother is the dumbass, not so much the victim, the child.

[username]

The problem is the mother is the dumbass, not so much the victim, the child.

In this case, true but maybe if they didn't have those warnings, the mother would have eaten the silica packet and died before she could reproduce.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

There is really no reason to not make the backup cameras available as an option, OPTION, not regulation. You can buy a full on backup camera system at autozone for $89 and it takes all of an hour to install it. I am adding one to my Vette build because I can and its only $14, I am doing it because I like it, not that I am likely to back up over anyones kid.
Its a fact that 75% of all vehicular accidents occur while backing up. Its also a fact that 100% of them happen because someone is not paying attention to what the fuck they are doing.
Its inexcuseable parenting, period.
This stupid bitch is attention whoring to avoid taking responsibility for it.

[OnBendedKnee]

username: Yes- although in her defense, those little silica packets would make a delightful, in-between meals snack.

SIXFOOTERsez: Absolutely agree on both counts.

[Duchess]

My car has a backup cam but I never use it.