Baby on Board!

Hate is too strong of a word, but I really don’t like these signs:

Firstly, I find them insensitive.  Whoopee! Well done, we managed to procreate and are enjoying all that comes with being a parent but do we have to flaunt it.  Imagine driving home after your 3rd failed attempt at IVF and all you see is these damn things everywhere.

Secondly, they don’t make me drive any differently around you. In fact, I may get even more aggressive and heaven help you if you get distracted by your children in the backseat and do something stupid like brake suddenly, forget to indicate or miss a green light.  Don’t even get me started on those mirrors you can put in the back so you can spend the whole time looking in the rear view mirror!

As you can tell I suffer a bit from road rage.  I do a lot of driving for work and turn into a bit of an animal behind the wheel.  Somewhere along the line, I’ve decided that I own the road and the rest of you are in my way.  Yes, if you are in the fast lane going 70 mph I will fly up behind you at 90 mph and if you don’t get out of the way I will flash my lights.  I don’t care if you’re a burly builder and I won’t hesitate to flip you the bird.

Maybe I should get one of these:

I’m a Grumpy Old Woman. Are you? Help yourself to a badge.

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Author: mediocremum

A slightly older mum of one, who drinks far too much red wine and has an unhealthy obsession with her slow cooker. During the day she's an ICT Trainer, Social Media/Online Marketing consultant and does a bit of public speaking. Full Profile on Google+

65 thoughts on “Baby on Board!”

  1. I had a similar debate with my driving instructor when I learnt but he informed me they actually have a safety aspect to them in that in an accident it informs the emergency services of the possibility of a child helping them make a quicker descision in who to treat if they need to.

    I dont have one in my car but I would bloody well hope people would see Js carseat and think twice about getting up my arse unfortunately they dont. It angers me greatly, why should they be able to put my sons life at risk by getting up my backside, simple they shouldnt. I was lucky enough once that a police car was following someone who got up my backside and actually pulled the guy for agressive driving, to say I was relieved I cant even describe.

    When I was in my teens we lost one of my cubs, the only girl in our unit and her mother to a dangerous driver who had been driving agreesively getting up the back of their car, in the end they were run off the road and both died instantly on the hard shoulder of the M25. Not the way to go.

    As much as they have their downfaults I think these signs can do some good for those that bother to acknowledge them and think about that car that they might want to put extra pressure on just so they can get to their destination two minutes earlier.

    1. Hayley, bloody good point! I hadn’t thought of the safety aspect of the signs. For the most part I’m joking and not as bad as I sound. I only get aggressive if someone does something stupid that in turn puts my life in danger. :-)

  2. I so totally and absolutely agree with you. I never understood why you would have one of these stupid signs and everyone we knew was instructed to not dare buying us one! One person still did and it went straight in the bin. I actually think it should say “Idiot driver on board” because that’s what you would have to be to see the point in one of these signs!

  3. The original purpose of these signs was to tell the emergency services, in the event of an accident, to look for a baby who might not be immediately visible. By displaying one when a baby is not on board a driver is potentially wasting the emergency services' time and 3 points should be deducted from the driving licence for each offence.

  4. The original purpose of these signs was to tell the emergency services, in the event of an accident, to look for a baby who might not be immediately visible. By displaying one when a baby is not on board a driver is potentially wasting the emergency services’ time and 3 points should be deducted from the driving licence for each offence.

  5. I had a similar debate with my driving instructor when I learnt but he informed me they actually have a safety aspect to them in that in an accident it informs the emergency services of the possibility of a child helping them make a quicker descision in who to treat if they need to.

    I dont have one in my car but I would bloody well hope people would see Js carseat and think twice about getting up my arse unfortunately they dont. It angers me greatly, why should they be able to put my sons life at risk by getting up my backside, simple they shouldnt. I was lucky enough once that a police car was following someone who got up my backside and actually pulled the guy for agressive driving, to say I was relieved I cant even describe.

    When I was in my teens we lost one of my cubs, the only girl in our unit and her mother to a dangerous driver who had been driving agreesively getting up the back of their car, in the end they were run off the road and both died instantly on the hard shoulder of the M25. Not the way to go.

    As much as they have their downfaults I think these signs can do some good for those that bother to acknowledge them and think about that car that they might want to put extra pressure on just so they can get to their destination two minutes earlier.

    1. Hayley, bloody good point! I hadn't thought of the safety aspect of the signs. For the most part I'm joking and not as bad as I sound. I only get aggressive if someone does something stupid that in turn puts my life in danger. :-)

  6. Hmmm, looks like my original explanation which I read elsewhere in good faith is an urban legend and they are not to alert the emergency services at all. As somebody pointed out, in the event of a crash the glass would smash and the sticker would fall off anyway. There is also mention that young lads use the signs in order to get less hassle from the police!

  7. I so totally and absolutely agree with you. I never understood why you would have one of these stupid signs and everyone we knew was instructed to not dare buying us one! One person still did and it went straight in the bin. I actually think it should say "Idiot driver on board" because that's what you would have to be to see the point in one of these signs!

  8. I’m with you, I don’t like them either. And I remember hating them when it took me three years to conceive our first child. I say ‘pah’ to the safety aspect. If people really meant to use them as a safety alert then they’d take them down when they didn’t have their children in the car. Otherwise the emergency services would waste time trying to find children not in a car with one of these signs up and ignoring children in a car which didn’t have one of these. I’m glad you wrote this, it’s got me ranting!

  9. Hmmm, looks like my original explanation which I read elsewhere in good faith is an urban legend and they are not to alert the emergency services at all. As somebody pointed out, in the event of a crash the glass would smash and the sticker would fall off anyway. There is also mention that young lads use the signs in order to get less hassle from the police!

  10. I'm with you, I don't like them either. And I remember hating them when it took me three years to conceive our first child. I say 'pah' to the safety aspect. If people really meant to use them as a safety alert then they'd take them down when they didn't have their children in the car. Otherwise the emergency services would waste time trying to find children not in a car with one of these signs up and ignoring children in a car which didn't have one of these. I'm glad you wrote this, it's got me ranting!

  11. We've got one in our car although it's in Catalan, it's there purely that in the event of me being involved in a serious car accident that the emergency services would take a few seconds (hardly enough time to warrant calling it a waste if my child isn't on board) to check to see if my son is in the car. Your windscreen wouldn't necessarily smash, unless you rolled over maybe??

    Now, cuddly toys on the back shelf – they're annoying! ;-)

  12. Yes, I hate them too, really don't see the point of them. People should drive safely all the time, not just because they think a car has a baby in it. I do tend to make unfavourable judgements about people I see using them.

  13. We’ve got one in our car although it’s in Catalan, it’s there purely that in the event of me being involved in a serious car accident that the emergency services would take a few seconds (hardly enough time to warrant calling it a waste if my child isn’t on board) to check to see if my son is in the car. Your windscreen wouldn’t necessarily smash, unless you rolled over maybe??

    Now, cuddly toys on the back shelf – they’re annoying! ;-)

  14. Yes, I hate them too, really don’t see the point of them. People should drive safely all the time, not just because they think a car has a baby in it. I do tend to make unfavourable judgements about people I see using them.

  15. Really can't get worked up about them. Insensitive? Perhaps, but then people who have gone through IVF have the challenges of seeing Mothercare billboards etc.

    Tailgaters who terrify the crap out of me by driving up my arse, now I could do a massive rant about them… ;-)

    1. This just sprang to mind as I have two very dear friends who are going through all this at the moment. I know people aren't intentionally being insensitive. ;-)

  16. Really can’t get worked up about them. Insensitive? Perhaps, but then people who have gone through IVF have the challenges of seeing Mothercare billboards etc.
    Tailgaters who terrify the crap out of me by driving up my arse, now I could do a massive rant about them… ;-)

    1. This just sprang to mind as I have two very dear friends who are going through all this at the moment. I know people aren’t intentionally being insensitive. ;-)

  17. I had one when my son was younger. It was mainly to alert drivers in the hope they wouldn't hoot etc. Although soon realised it made no difference as I had some aggressive woman behind me once hooting like a nutter.. so the sign didn't stop her! My son is special needs and back then any sudden noise would freak him out, ie hooting, balloon popping etc. He's got better now, he's older so I no longer have one but I have no problems with them at all.

  18. I had one when my son was younger. It was mainly to alert drivers in the hope they wouldn’t hoot etc. Although soon realised it made no difference as I had some aggressive woman behind me once hooting like a nutter.. so the sign didn’t stop her! My son is special needs and back then any sudden noise would freak him out, ie hooting, balloon popping etc. He’s got better now, he’s older so I no longer have one but I have no problems with them at all.

  19. I have to admit that I had one when my kids were younger and it does make me give a driver a little more time and space when one is showing in other cars.

    I would say to the earlier poster however that for every idiot taligating someone there is usually a bigger idiot in front sitting in the wrong lane.

  20. I have to admit that I had one when my kids were younger and it does make me give a driver a little more time and space when one is showing in other cars.

    I would say to the earlier poster however that for every idiot taligating someone there is usually a bigger idiot in front sitting in the wrong lane.

  21. I hate them too! My neighbour has had one in the window of her house for the last four years…her child is now at school!

    I never had them for my four babies. I do remember feeling murderous when I saw them after I miscarried my first.

    I think, however, I may get a 'teenager on board' sticker to warn others that I may be being distracted by music so loud my ears are bleeding or by being whipped by a quick hair flip!

  22. I hate them too! My neighbour has had one in the window of her house for the last four years…her child is now at school!
    I never had them for my four babies. I do remember feeling murderous when I saw them after I miscarried my first.
    I think, however, I may get a ‘teenager on board’ sticker to warn others that I may be being distracted by music so loud my ears are bleeding or by being whipped by a quick hair flip!

  23. I DETEST them, always have, always will. The worst I ever saw was 'Pregnant lady on Board'. Eh hello do you want a medal???? You sound like me on the road, hence 8 penalty point on my licence…..

  24. I DETEST them, always have, always will. The worst I ever saw was ‘Pregnant lady on Board’. Eh hello do you want a medal???? You sound like me on the road, hence 8 penalty point on my licence…..

  25. The stickers I hate the most are the ones with “Jesus loves you” and a little outline of a fish on them. Not because I dislike people who are religious in any way. More because, for some reason, they all seem to genuinely believe that their cars are made of tissue paper and, as such, they must be driven at no more than 10 mph whilst keeping at least 1/2 a mile of safe stopping distance between themselves and the vehicle in front of them… If you’re stuck behind one of these, it’s far from heaven… It’s hell!… Oh the irony!

  26. The stickers I hate the most are the ones with "Jesus loves you" and a little outline of a fish on them. Not because I dislike people who are religious in any way. More because, for some reason, they all seem to genuinely believe that their cars are made of tissue paper and, as such, they must be driven at no more than 10 mph whilst keeping at least 1/2 a mile of safe stopping distance between themselves and the vehicle in front of them… If you're stuck behind one of these, it's far from heaven… It's hell!… Oh the irony!

  27. Funnily enough, I was discussing what 'on board' stickers we should have on our car. Since there are four of us in here of various descriptions, there'd not be much room to see out of the back window.

    Ideas ranged from "Hairy Man" (Is that really how my children see me?) to "Cheeky child"… none of which make the slightest bit of difference to how other road users treat the car.

    My driving, however, speaks volumes.. :D

  28. Funnily enough, I was discussing what ‘on board’ stickers we should have on our car. Since there are four of us in here of various descriptions, there’d not be much room to see out of the back window.

    Ideas ranged from “Hairy Man” (Is that really how my children see me?) to “Cheeky child”… none of which make the slightest bit of difference to how other road users treat the car.

    My driving, however, speaks volumes.. :D

  29. hate them. but they do offer a partial explanation to driving speed. I used to be a speed monkey, but have bcome strangely sedate since breeding.

  30. I don't have one, but I too thought they were to alert the emergency services – but who takes them out when the kids arn't on board?? I used to have one that had Little Miss Naughty on it, but only because I liked it and had all sorts of Little Miss stuff in my car! I don't have an issue, unless it's these people who have a "baby on board" on one side and a "child on board" on the other, and stickers all over the window – hello, visibility???? Oh and nodding dogs – WHY!!!!!! I have to say though after 3 years of fertility treatment with B, we did look for a "Pregnant Lady On Board" one just because we wanted everyone to know!!! We never managed to find one though!

  31. I don’t have one, but I too thought they were to alert the emergency services – but who takes them out when the kids arn’t on board?? I used to have one that had Little Miss Naughty on it, but only because I liked it and had all sorts of Little Miss stuff in my car! I don’t have an issue, unless it’s these people who have a “baby on board” on one side and a “child on board” on the other, and stickers all over the window – hello, visibility???? Oh and nodding dogs – WHY!!!!!! I have to say though after 3 years of fertility treatment with B, we did look for a “Pregnant Lady On Board” one just because we wanted everyone to know!!! We never managed to find one though!

  32. hate them. but they do offer a partial explanation to driving speed. I used to be a speed monkey, but have bcome strangely sedate since breeding.

  33. There are worse… they are the “Little Princess On Board” (or similar) ones. They really get on my wick!!

    And I am well known on the M65 for flipping the bird at other drivers :D

  34. There are worse… they are the "Little Princess On Board" (or similar) ones. They really get on my wick!!

    And I am well known on the M65 for flipping the bird at other drivers :D

  35. No! Don't feel bad, was just letting you know why I used it… and the woman who hooted wasn't blonde ;), didn't work anyway so if I ever have a 2nd child I'm not sure I'll bother.

  36. Worse: "Show dogs in transit". Actually, now I come to think of it, those do serve a purpose. They tell me it's okay to crash into the back of your car rather than someone else's as I'm less likely to injure any actual people.

  37. Ha ha I agree. When I see these signs I feel like giving the driver a gentle nudge to their bumper. And I’m not a violent person.

  38. Ha ha I agree. When I see these signs I feel like giving the driver a gentle nudge to their bumper. And I'm not a violent person.

  39. Ha ha I agree. When I see these signs I feel like giving the driver a gentle nudge to their bumper. And I'm not a violent person.

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