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Another parenting gem from STBXH He's got himself a new work van, specifically so he can take the kids to and from school on his days without having to bring his own car and then swap over vehicles for work.

It's a bench seat so DS is seated on the passenger side (with a regular seatbelt) and DD is seated in the middle with just a lap belt, so her upper body is not restrained at all.

For some ungodly reason, this is not illegal here (so there is very little I can do to make STBX see sense) but from what I have read, these lap belts are so dangerous and the injuries sustained in an accident can be horrible.

I'm so worried - she's not even in a back seat, she's right there next to STBXH, the driver. I just don't understand how he could put her at risk like that. They travel 35 minutes each way on a highway where he can drive up to 110km/hr (sorry, not sure what that is in miles per hour) and god forbid there was an accident, she would be flung forward.

I've emailed him, trying not to 'accuse' or 'attack' him which is hard. He hasn't responded of course.

I hate not having control over my children

OMG! Is there nothing at all you can do about that?

This freaks me the fuck out. Seriously. Can someone please explain the mental gymnastics necessary to tell yourself that the best way to fuck with your spouse (who is divorcing you because you're a lying cheating assclown) is to endanger your innocent child's life?????????? How does a person get to that place in their minds that this is okay???????

The laws here are rubbish but even 4-7 they still have to be in the back seat unless there are younger kids taking up all of the back seat. 7 up is free game except they do recommend they stay in boosters until they outgrow them.

http://www.rta.gov.au/roadsafety/downloads/choose_right_buckle_right.pdf

It shouldn't be based on age - it should be based on size. I have a huge 5 year old (20kgs, 119cms which is 44 pounds / 3'10" for the US folk). Some have much smaller than average kids who should stay in car seats but are moved to boosters at 4.

Can you offer to buy a high back booster that has a 5 point restraint? My youngest was technically old enough to sit in a regular booster seat, but was pig-headed about sitting properly (she was always taking the shoulder harness off, leaning forward, yada yada). So, I bought a high back booster that had the regular 5 point restraint and put her in that. The middle position in my truck is also only a lap belt, but that way, the seat is restrained by the lap belt, the child restrained by the seat. Just make sure you get one that will cover her weight (the one I got went to 100 lbs).

On a lighter note, my middle child was tiny! She was in a booster until 6th grade! Even then she could have still used it, but it's a trifle embarassing for a kid to get out of a booster at the junior high school.

^^

Gawd, I didn't get to the "how embarrassing!!" stage of adolescence until I was 15! They start at 10 these days!!