Baby on board signs, do you have one?

pwurple

Just wondering who has these, and what they are for? They seem to block visibility out the back window, so what's the advantage?

beachbabe

Don't have one, don't think it makes anyone more considerate when driving if they see one on a car. Also, I don't think paramedics pay much attention to them anyway, as a sign does not always mean the baby was in the car at that time.
Any of them that I have seen are not small, and block visibility as you mentioned.
You are not supposed to have unsecured items on the back shelf as they can become missiles in the event of an accIdent. I realise they are stuck on the window but they can come off.
If I am parking somewhere and see a car seat in the car I will leave as much room as possible for child loading, I would not check to see if there is a baby on board sign.
They are my reasons for not having one.

January

We don't have one for the same reasons quoted above. No point in them, they don't suddenly make people more considerate drivers, nor do they forgive the person driving from being a bad driver either (if they are).

My father in law wanted to buy one of those "Princes on Board" signs for his car when my first daughter was born though

Xdancer

We don't have one for the same reasons. They're pretty pointless in my opinion. In case of an accident I think the big car seat is more likely to indicate the possibility of a child than a sticker on the back window

Moonbeam

I had one up when I drove a normal car and took it down if there girls were not in the car. Now I drive an mpv full of car seats so there is no point.

Qualitymark

The advantage - if they're used properly, which they never are in Ireland - is that you mount the "baby on board" sign when you're actually driving with a baby in the car, and if you're in an accident people will then search for the baby. It was instituted because in some cases of accidents, babies were overlooked and left lying in fields or on roads. But in Ireland people seem to put them in purely as a proud announcement of their fertility.

liliq

Yep, I have one. I find it does actually make some people more considerate when driving around me. I'm rarely in the car without my son, so it is usually relevant.
I have a fairly large, flat rear windscreen so it was easy enough to position in a place that it doesn't reduce visibility at all. Maybe if the back windsceen was very slanted it would...

The Big Red Button

Qualitymark wrote: »

The advantage - if they're used properly, which they never are in Ireland - is that you mount the "baby on board" sign when you're actually driving with a baby in the car, and if you're in an accident people will then search for the baby. It was instituted because in some cases of accidents, babies were overlooked and left lying in fields or on roads. But in Ireland people seem to put them in purely as a proud announcement of their fertility.

If a car is so mangled that the rescue services cannot manage to identify the presence of a car seat, then I doubt a tiny little "baby on board" sign is going to make the slightest bit of difference to the possibility of an infant surviving an accident ...

DublinWriter

I had one, but it fell off on our baby.

Replaced it with a "Baby Driving" sign.

CrazyRabbit

I think a 'Shotgun on board' would probably have a better effect to be honest.

we'llallhavetea

I only ram the cars without baby on board signs :rolleyes:

Qualitymark

chatterpillar wrote: »

If a car is so mangled that the rescue services cannot manage to identify the presence of a car seat, then I doubt a tiny little "baby on board" sign is going to make the slightest bit of difference to the possibility of an infant surviving an accident ...

It's happened that a car seat with a baby in it has flown out of the car, though.

cold case

I had one years ago, when they came out first, as I was all caught up in the excitement of becoming a mum!

Now, I feel a bit embarrassed that I actually had one, as they are pretty pointless and obviously do not change any driver behaviour.:o

ljpg

i'll be brutally honest,everytime i see one of those signs it annoys me a bit and as someone already pointed out i think people them up "as a proud announcment of there fertility".when your out on the roads your passing by men,women and children of all ages all the time so puttin up a silly sign isnt going to make people drive any safer,dont get me wrong i'm not tryin to be a pr**k here,im a parent of a young child myself,i just dont feel the need to announce it to the world all the time on the road

monkeypants

In my experience, drivers with these signs are generally worse drivers, so I treat them as a warning.

we'llallhavetea

I've actually seen these ungodly stickers on the bumpers of cars with pictures of cartoon family members (including pets!!!) with each members name underneath. so cringe IMO

taxus_baccata

I'm quite a careful driver and do my best to obey speed limits etc. The number of times I've been overtaken in 50 and 60 km zones by people with baby on board stickers is shocking! Especially considering that these speed zones tend to be in residential areas where people have babies/children. I'm due to become a mum myself in sept. and i honestly don't know if I should bother getting one!

pwurple

Qualitymark wrote: »

It's happened that a car seat with a baby in it has flown out of the car, though.

This seems like a possible reason to get one, but the chances must be tiny with modern cars and isofix.

Surprised to see the poll results so far actually, I thought I was the only parent in the country without one. I often peer in windows in traffic to see if there is a child on board, and sometimes there isn't even a carseat, so I guess sometimes they end up hanging there even after the baby is grown up.