SAFETY LAST

Why is this adorable two-year-old smiling?



Is it because she finally mastered the melody to "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and now is moving on to the complicated lyrics?

Perhaps she is delighted because about a half hour earlier she had chocolate milk in her bottle as opposed to standard white milk.

Or maybe, just maybe, she is happy because she is secure in the knowledge that her parents are so concerned about her well-being that they would never put her in an automobile (no matter how short the trip) without first strapping her into a US government-approved child car seat.

OK, I doubt if it's the last one, but if I were her, that would be my choice, especially when you consider how some kids here in Bangkok get around town.

Check out this family going down a busy highway in the back of a pickup.



Those children are no more than ten years old. What would happen to them if driver had to make a sudden stop or sharp turn? I shudder when I think about it.

Or how about this sweet little baby?



Granted, this photo was taken in the city when traffic was at a virtual standstill, but I'm sure he or she got to that point in the back of this truck with no safety precautions whatsoever. The infant is just being held by a family member. What if their vehicle got in an accident?

I have no idea what the laws are over here in regards to child traffic safety, but from the amount of similar cases I've seen around town it's safe to assume that there aren't any. I can't tell you how many times I've seen infants, probably less than a year old, strapped to a back of a motorcycle as the driver weaves in and out of traffic. Just today, I saw this family (although the child was around ten).



This one is a rarity, because no one on the motorcycle was wearing a helmet. Normally the driver (usually male) has one, while the passengers (usually a female and a kid) don't.

The whole situation to me is shocking and kind of sad. Maybe these families can't afford car seats and extra motorcycle helmets. Or maybe they just don't know any better. I only hope that I never have to witness a real tragedy that could have been avoided if there weren't such a lax set of safety standards here.

I will post more photos like this as I can get them in hopes that somebody someday will read this blog and help get a law off the ground to protect the children of Bangkok as they travel on the city's crowded highways. Perhaps then they can rest easy (like this little cutie)