Shane I agree with you 110 %. There is no excuse not to put a child in a car seat. It would have only taken a minute. That extra minute will cost them a lifetime of pain.

I agree with Shane too.  The mother and grandmother were negligent.  They didn't do what they were supposed to do.  They didn't secure the child in her car seat.  I know it can be difficult to put a wiggling and screaming baby into a car seat but it MUST be done.  An asthma attack can be life threatening but not putting an infant in his/her car seat is more important than the few extra minutes to get to the hospital. 

I agree that car seats MUST be used.  It is the law,  it is logical, it is right thing to do.  But I think the true question of this blog is should the mother and grandmother go to prison for this?  The story has been updated and it isn't likely now that they will go to prison now, but when the blog was created that was unknown because the were arrested with serious charges.  Like I said before I've made my mistakes, no one else has?

I am a carseat freak! My kids each have a Britax carseat that cost an arm and a leg and they are never in a car without being properly put in one. We have moved cross country 4 times and they make the 40 hour drive in the carseat and if they need something then we wait until we are pulled over and they get it. When the babies were infants I would have to stop every hour to get them out and get them happy again but they never are allowed in a car without a carseat. We come to Tehachapi to visit and the kids and I stay with different family members and it is a pain in the butt to move the seats around, but oh well. I have even taught my four year old how to buckle hers and how it should fit. When we were home last time my sister-in-law called me to let me know that when she took my daughter to the store she had buckled her in wrong and my daughter told her that she needed to fix it because she was not allowed to ride in it until it was right. It may be extra work but my kids are worth it. I could never forgive myself if something happened to them because I was lazy.

If there was someone there to watch over the baby and they did not leave the baby there with that person then yes there should be charges made. Anyone with any common sense would not allow a child into a car without proper restraints such as a carseat or seat belt, no matter what the situation. The safety of a child is a serious thing and i do not think these women were thinking about that their biggest concern was getting to the hospital.

I don't have strong opinions about too many things but car seats is definitely one of them that I do have VERY strong opinions about. I agree with Shane 100%!! There is absolutely no excuse for not having a child restrained in a car seat! I have seen so many children severly injured or die because their parents (the person they are supposed to be able to trust more than any other in the world) did not take 1 minutes time to buckle them up. And not only do people need to buckle the kids in the car seat but they need to make sure the car seat is PROPERLY buckled into the car.

It always amazes and angers me when I see an innocent child riding down the street unrestrained. I don't know about anyone else but my children are the world to me and I go out of my way to do whatever I can to keep them safe. Car seats SAVE lives! And car seats are not just for young children, a child should not be out of a car seat because they are 6 years old. Car seats should not be looked on as an inconvenience that you can finally get rid of when the child turns 6. I personally have my children in a car seat and they are both 6 or over. I am so glad that they are starting to advertise more on t.v etc about the importance of a child being in a car seat until they are 4'9.

Another important issue associated with the car seats is that children should not be sitting in the front seat of a vehicle unless there is no other choice. The back seat is the safest place for them.

Someone else said that they require you to have a car seat before you can take your new baby home from the hospital. They need to also have a mandatory parenting class before you can take that child home with regular updates for changing laws, safety, etc. God forbid our country put any effort into creating the safest situation for an innocent child. But it's so important that you have to have a license to catch a fish...AMAZING!!

RStott...I also have the Britax car seats for my girls. They are more expensive but my kids are priceless:)

I agree with luvmy2girls there should be some type of parenting class for new parents. Children do not come with instructions. I know when i became a mom for the first time i was clueless on how to take care of a new baby. I would of loved to taken a class so i would of been more prepared. Luckily i was staying with my Parents so my mom helped alot but not everyone has that option.

And i personally feel that those that do not put their child into a carseat/seatbelt are endangering the lives of their children and they should face severe consequences.

I agree with Shane 100% also! My daughter is 5 yrs old and plenty tall to be in a booster seat, but the idea of not having her in a 5 point harness scares me!  I would NEVER go anywhere without having my kids buckled in.  I believe it is a good idea to think ahead so during events you have already thought things through.  Since my  husband works 48 hr shifts I know that if anything happened while he was gone I'd be calling 911.  I am one of 11 kids!! I have seen many of my siblings hurt and rushed to the hospital. Once my little brother had a seizure near the Keene exit on 58. He actually stopped breathing and my mom pulled over on the side of the road  and was breathing for him. Once he started breathing again she put him BACK IN HIS CARSEAT and drove straight to the hospital. Also we have had rides to the hospital with people bleeding, ect. everyone was buckled in!!

More and more I have noticed people that do not have their kids in carseats or even in the proper type of car seats. Like young kids in boosters who are way too small for one!! I know they're cheap, but come on this is your kids safety. It honestly upsets me ALOT!

I also think buses not having seatbelts is one of the dumbest things ever! One reason why I'll probably always drive my kids to school.