Would you use a ‘baby on board’ badge in your car?

October 11, 2012

A baby on board - E asleep during a taxi rideAs I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have a car, so are currently at the mercy of public transport with a pram. Both Alex and I do have licences though, albeit very dusty ones, so we’ll probably think about getting a car in the next few years (I’m not even entertaining the idea of tube steps with two babies).

This blog was half-named for the badges you can get for use on public transport if you’re pregnant. Something that’s not really on my radar, just yet, is the same badge you can get for cars. Almost 2 in 5 parents have displayed a ‘baby on board’ vehicle sign though, and Confused.com and road safety charity Brake recently conducted a survey about the benefits and dangers of these signs for drivers.

The survey found that:

  • 80% of the parents who use ‘baby on board’ signs think they improve safety
  • Yet 46% of drivers think the signs obscure vision when driving
  • 46% of drivers who have children under 16 and display a ‘baby on board’ sign do not remove it when the child is not in the car
  • 14% of parents think the signs are uncool and 33% of drivers think the signs are ‘tacky’

I’d always thought these signs were used for novelty value; however, Brake point out that they can provide essential information to emergency service workers in case of a crash, but parents should only use them if there’s a child in the car (and make sure the sign doesn’t become a safety hazard by obscuring your view).

What does everyone think? Have to admit I’m not too sure if we would have one or not, but if you have strong opinions about this, you can add your voice to the debate over at the Confused.com Facebook page.

And let me know, if you own a car would you ever get one of these – if you don’t already? If you have one, have you noticed a difference in how other drivers treat you on the road? I’d be really interested to know your opinions.

4 Comments

  • Muddling Along

    October 11, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    I cannot believe that Brake are perpetuating the myth that emergency services take any account of these signs when dealing with a crash – the child seat is the obvious give away that there might be a child in the car, not a small bit of plastic

    I guess it’s all part of the industry dedicated to selling parents things they don’t actually need or want on the basis that if you spew enough pseudo facts some people will believe you and buy in

    1. gillian

      October 18, 2012 at 9:02 pm

      They were quoted in the press release so they must be! The car seat would be the obvious sign, wouldn’t it…

  • shirley Edwards

    October 12, 2012 at 10:45 am

    I would think they have to be an advantage to the rescue services in accidents as they wouldnt see people if there was a fire but would see the badge from the outside, but makes you wonder if they would rescue baby first

    1. gillian

      October 18, 2012 at 9:02 pm

      Hopefully we’ll never have to find out! x

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