Sahail AshrafWHO’S TO BLAME: TODDLER PINS MOTHER AGAINST WALL
March 15th 2007 05:37
This story came out in The Age. An 18 month old boy got into the driver’s seat of his mother’s car. He started the car and it moved forward, pinning his mother against the garage wall. The accident caused minor injuries to the woman, who was taken to hospital.
What interested me most about this article was the stance it took. Rather than merely reporting events, it linked the incident to recent advertisements featuring young children driving cars.
The article at first took an angle I would have expected. The writer began to question what the toddler was doing in the car while his mother was outside of the car. A warning is then given that parents shouldn’t leave their cars with the keys, or indeed, children inside.
But remarkably, rather than focus on the fact that a toddler shouldn’t be alone in the car, let alone be able to get access to the ignition, the writer hints that the blame lies with children copying behaviours seen on television. It refers to a recent banned car advertisement where toddlers are seen driving.
This astounds me! The accident didn’t occur because of the ad, it occurred because the boy’s mother left him alone in a car with the keys still in the ignition. Even if the child had seen that ad and copied the behaviour he saw, it wasn’t the ad that caused the accident. A toddler shouldn’t be able to start a car for the simple reason that he shouldn’t have access to it.
This seems pretty logical to me. Assuming the mother did leave her child alone in the car for a moment, shouldn’t the child still be restrained in a car seat until she does comes to get her child? An 18 month old would still be in a baby car seat, which has fully lockable seatbelts than can’t be unfastened by a young child. This wasn’t even mentioned in the article.
This type of reportage is not only misdirected but it is also biased. It’s a very fine link drawn between a banned ad and this incident, yet it forms the main argument of the piece.
What interested me most about this article was the stance it took. Rather than merely reporting events, it linked the incident to recent advertisements featuring young children driving cars.
The article at first took an angle I would have expected. The writer began to question what the toddler was doing in the car while his mother was outside of the car. A warning is then given that parents shouldn’t leave their cars with the keys, or indeed, children inside.
But remarkably, rather than focus on the fact that a toddler shouldn’t be alone in the car, let alone be able to get access to the ignition, the writer hints that the blame lies with children copying behaviours seen on television. It refers to a recent banned car advertisement where toddlers are seen driving.
This astounds me! The accident didn’t occur because of the ad, it occurred because the boy’s mother left him alone in a car with the keys still in the ignition. Even if the child had seen that ad and copied the behaviour he saw, it wasn’t the ad that caused the accident. A toddler shouldn’t be able to start a car for the simple reason that he shouldn’t have access to it.
This seems pretty logical to me. Assuming the mother did leave her child alone in the car for a moment, shouldn’t the child still be restrained in a car seat until she does comes to get her child? An 18 month old would still be in a baby car seat, which has fully lockable seatbelts than can’t be unfastened by a young child. This wasn’t even mentioned in the article.
This type of reportage is not only misdirected but it is also biased. It’s a very fine link drawn between a banned ad and this incident, yet it forms the main argument of the piece.
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I have to say that I can be quite cynical with the media...I think they often have their slant in mind and mould the story to fit in with their angle....this is ridulous and isn't looking at the important issues like you said, the baby being unharnessed in a car alone...
Tracy
Comment by Candice
I totally agree. When I did Media at uni it really opened my eyes to how the media can put a particular slant on things. I couldn't believe it when I read this article - to relate this story to an ad that's already been banned? There's really no direct link, but the journo managed to attempt it!
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
I agree with you and Tracy - media certainly has it's agenda.
I was discussing this with Mr M. I can't remember who it was now but someone a few weeks back wrote a post about how the Hyundai car ad (which featured toddler boy and girl) was pulled because some parents thought this would send the wrong message. It was pointed out in the post that the ad was only ever shown after 8.30pm - toddler most certainly should be asleep by then.
Anyways, we all know that the most influential role model in our toddlers lives are us - the parents. They just want to do the things we do - which is why they copy us and pretend to cook or clean or talk on the phone. Etc Etc.
Lilla and kaytzzz both mentioned that when one of their kids (when they were little) tried the very same thing - not run over their mothers - but drive the car. There was no Hyundai ad then.
Secondly, I am going to give the mother the benefit of the doubt about the unrestrained child. Maybe she didn't know that her 18 month old could undo the seatbelt. Generally you don't know these things until of course they've done it. Or maybe she thought she had done up the seatbelt but hadn't done it properly - I know that's happened to me.
Having said that, knowing full well that I am a bit scatter brained I try extra hard to make sure that my kids are safe, especially around the car.
Yes this is very serious and you should never take the chance by leaving the keys in the car etc etc.
I also read an article a long time ago about a mother who didn't check to see if her 3 year old had done up the seat belt and proceeded to reverse. Well the kid opened the car door, fell out, was run over and died.
Right there I'm thinking, the kid is only three, parents should be doing up the seatbelts. Always have the child safety lock on so the kid can't open the door. This is just another example of a sad tragic preventable accident.
Sorry to write such a long comment. What was the original question?
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Candice
Thanks for your response. There are a heap of different things to think about with this one!
I didn't see that post on the car ad being pulled - yes, it would be very unlikely a toddler would be watching TV that late at night. I agree too that toddlers are more just acting out what they see their parents doing.
I know what you mean about the seatbelt thing. A couple of times one side of my daughter's seatbelt has been undone when I pulled up in the driveway and I've never been sure whether she undid it or whether I didn't lock it in properly.
Still, like you said, you've just got to be so careful with kids around cars. There was a news report just the other day about a two year old who was run over in the driveway. You hear those stories all too often it seems. I sometimes even wonder if I'm vigilant enough with all that stuff myself.