Komplikated Kar Seats - 03.07.2003
I just read a USA today article on a study that says the installation instructions for children’s car seats is too tough for many adults. On average, these manuals are written at a 10th grade level. The report says that 25% of US adults read at or below a fifth grade level.
The study said that about 80% of car safety seats are improperly installed or misused
and that motor vehicle collisions are a leading cause of death and injury for infants and children.
The cynic in me immediately thinks, “Ok, it will just be a little gene pool cleansing if these kids get killed in a car wreck.” But, the truth is that I just don’t believe that statement. We’re talking about kids here, and they shouldn’t have to suffer for their parents’ stupidity. As terrible as it is for a non-retarded adult to only read at the 5th grade level, the real tragedy is that these people don’t care enough to get some help when they don’t understand the instructions. This is your kid’s safety here, people. You went through the trouble to shell out the cash for the seat. If you can’t figure out how to install the damn thing, find someone who can. Maybe you can find a nice 10-year-old kid who lives on the street and whose intellect is vastly superior to your own. Give him a few bucks. He’ll help you out.
For immediate results, the study recommends using shorter sentences and simpler words in the instructions. For example, 'collision,' 'automobile,' and 'remedied' could be replaced by 'crash,' 'car,' and 'fixed,'" according to the study.
You have got to be kidding me. If you don’t know that an automobile is a car than you need to get your stupid ass off the f*&$ing road! Can I please get an Amen here?
It’s probably all bullshit anyway. The difficulty level of the instructions is not the real issue. It’s the effort that is required to install one of those things. These people with incorrectly installed seats are probably the same people who have set up intricate home theater systems for themselves and all of their friends. It’s all about priorities. Entertainment is worth a full weekend of toil, but the safety of the kids looses importance if it takes more than a five-minute investment.
If someone ever told me that my kid’s car seat was not installed correctly, and I was asked why. My response would be, “Them dang duh… papers is too err.. dang hard ta faller fer installin”. Because, let’s face it, we would all rather be accused of being ignorant than not really caring about the safety of our children.
By the way, I apologize if this essay was difficult to read due to the use of some multi syllable words including, but not limited to ‘automobile’.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-03-03-childrens-seats_x.htm
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