As parents, we all want the safest, most secure way of transporting our families from point A to point B. If the car is good-looking, well that's just a bonus. So when U.S. News Best Cars released its 2012 Best Cars for Families Awards earlier today, we couldn't wait to share the results.
Check out the highlights, and let us know — how does your family get around? Do you agree with these rankings?
With road trips, soccer practice runs, grabbing groceries, daycare drop-offs, and more, it's important that your car is economical, built to last, and offers some family-friendly features to make it easier for you to transport your tots. The good news is more car companies are incorporating nifty kid-oriented characteristics into their cars to qualify a vehicle as a family car. And because of this, parents are left with a wide variety of choices to suit their particular needs. Here are some 2011 models that are taking the "kid-friendly" motto to a whole new level.
Nothing says Labor Day like a car full of loved ones headed for an end of Summer getaway or celebration. Before you brave the road with your precious cargo, check out these little-known safety tips! I spoke with Becky Michalkiewicz, the statewide child safety seat coordinator of the California Highway Patrol, who offered up this expert advice.
If you need help, contact your local highway patrol. The CHP, for example, will schedule an appointment with a trained technician to check your car seat and how it fits your child.
Lots of moms buy organic, compost, and recycle before they load their kids up in a gas-guzzling SUV to transport them to soccer, take them on a nature hike, or pick up more energy-saving light bulbs. There's a campaign for families to go green, but much is also to be said for keeping children safe on the open road. The logistics of space — fitting an entire family and their belongings and friends inside a car — aside, lots of moms and dads feel more secure in a large vehicle because the streets and freeways are already swarming with them. And who wants to take a chance with precious cargo? When it comes to motoring around town, which do you consider more: safety or your carbon footprint?
Mommy Dearest —
We are planning a trip to visit friends in New York City and are staying at a hotel on the opposite end of the city from where they live. In making our plans for the trip, we discussed meeting up at a central location, and our friend said the best way to get there was via taxi. I mentioned that I was not planning on bringing a car seat with us (I found a car service with car seats to carry my toddler and I from the airport to the city) and she laughed and told me that no one uses car seats in taxis — they simply put the child on their lap and hold on. I was appalled. Aren't car seats required whenever you transport a child in the car? What would you do in this situation?
— Concerned About Car Safety Mom
To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more
Maybe our parents weren't so wrong after all. At least that's what the authors of SuperFreakonomics would have us believe. Moms and pops take every precaution to protect their wee ones from harm, including installing top of the line car seats with the highest safety ratings. On Good Morning America, dads and writers Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner told Robin Roberts that car seats may not be the key to keeping tots protected. Rather, the two men argue that harness restraints, like a regular old seat belt, will guard children against harm like a car seat or booster. While they don't promote ditching the seats all together, the below video does make one wonder about the modern day approach.
Check out the video and let me know if it sways your safety thinking at all.
Video courtesy of ABC
The ladies on The View were pretty upset when a recent episode of The Bachelor featured a young child riding in a limo without a car seat. While we don't know the specifics of the shoot, this is a situation many mamas have found themselves in. Whether it was an emergency situation or a conscious choice, have you ever driven with your child not secured in a car seat?
