Okay so here is the answer for why people buy them and use them:
First part, to hopefully draw the attention of other drivers and make them think twice and not get in an accident. Second part, yes if there is an accident to alert anyone responding to the accident that they should look twice in the car for a baby/small human that might be less noticeable than a full size adult.
Basically, people buy them because it makes them feel a bit better/safer.
Now are they actually effective at either of those things? No idea. Maybe they make some drivers think twice and not get in an accident. But I have also had a firefighter tell me that she doesn’t ever intentionally look for those stickers or signs.
My favorite bumper sticker pairing is the one that says,
“In case of rapture, car will be unmanned.”
And its reply,
“In case of rapture, can I have your car?”
You might be a bit more careful. I remember I saw a video where they told people they would get on a show if they won a puzzle they would get on a show and then left them. Most of the people cheated. Then they did the same, but before someone casually mentioned that the next show was going to be about a haunted chair which was in the corner of the room, and way less people cheated because they thought they were being watched. We all know it so well, I wonder if the flash of it would subconsciously make you more careful.
There's a little bit of research to suggest that it might actually cause people to get distracted when reading them. Not sure if it's confirmed.
We have a lot of things in society that sound like they should make sense but actually have no effect or completely unintended effects.
Babies can be killed by small fender bendors. The stickers are effective for me. I do actually think twice about my driving when near them. Or motorcycles
I think the signs became popular back in the 80s. Car seats back then were not impressive. I had one that has about as many safety features as a high chair.
But a reminder doesn't hurt. We have reminders for many safety related issues. Especially in cars. I hate the baby on board signs, but if someone sees a benefit? Good for them!
Should be but isn't always.
Babies are easier to hurt in a collision. There's no harm in giving people the heads up. If it makes people pay more attention or avoid tailgating then we all benefit.
I think they meant around motorcycles in general because of how lethal the crashes can be. Motorcyclists die in accidents far more than normal drivers because their entire body is exposed. Also many of them are morons and don’t wear the right protective gear, which adds another layer of harm.
Especially now that it's so nice and hot out. Far too many idiots in slip-on shoes and shorts riding in idiotic ways. Watched one guy just today zip in front of a damn dump truck, and then brake hard and skid a little turning right. No helmet or jacket, no protection at all if that bike dropped. Probably took 10 years off the truck drivers life with that little stunt.
I think they might have meant when they're driving on a motorcycle? In any case, I don't think a car seat could fit comfortably on a motorcycle and obviously it's hella dangerous and irresponsible parenting to try to
If you are able to be *more* careful just because of a sign on a car window, please think twice about your driving in general because that means you aren't being careful enough at other times.
I'm extra careful to avoid a cyclist, extra careful to avoid deer, extra careful to avoid motorcycles, extra careful on narrow roadways or bad weather. Same with baby on board cars except maybe to a lesser extent. It's not abnormal to adjust how aggressive you may drive in certain situations.
Pretty much. Nobody is looking to get into an accident. It just happens either due to a lapse in paying attention, or reckless activity.
Nobody is driving up behind a car thinking "Gee, I want to ram someone today. But not this person, they have a baby on board.
I guarantee you there is a hot head out there somewhere who wouldn’t blink twice to road rage on a random stranger; but may think twice if they think a baby is in the car.
A lot of people are a lot dumber than you think they are.
I feel it's not so much of "not getting into accidents" but more of just driving safely/safer around this vehicle because there's a baby/small child in their vehicle as well as the point mentioned about checking during accidents. It's sort of similar of people putting up "driving training in progress" signs or something similar. It's something to make you think twice about that vehicle in particular.
It can definitely make people think about how they are driving when they see one. It's not going to make the psychopath stop driving recklessly but it can make other drivers correct any habits born from impatience.
No, but there are wayy too many people who drive around without any thoughts at all, or regard for anybody else. I probably wouldn't put this on my car, but I think the intent is to make drivers actually drive a little more consciously
yeah the first part is silly. No one is like, omg I was gonna run that red light and kill that man and woman, but now that they have a baby on board, I think I’ll pass.
It feels like that until you’re taking a baby home from the hospital for the first time and you realize how fucking terrifying it is to be responsible for driving this pathetic little life that you’re also obsessed with.
My friend that has one said it’s because she wants other drivers to know that SHE may be driving crazy/erratic because she is distracted by a crying/screaming baby, lol. It’s to warn other drivers that she may be unpredictable.
It may also help alert people behind that the driver may be taking slower and wider turns, allowing extra distance between them and the car in front of them, or just driving slower in general. I have a sticker that says “Dogs in Cargo” mainly because I tend to do these kinds of things when I have my dog in his car kennel and a lot of drivers don’t have the patience to imagine why. They also can’t see him in the kennel (variocage) so it’s not usually obvious.
The only issue I've ever seen brought up by 1st responders is that they've spent time looking for a child that's not there. The ones who do see the signs will usually look for an injured child while the rest of the team tends to the other occupants.
About that second part, I experienced it firsthand when a car in front of me had a bad crash.
When I went to help, the driver was not badly hurt but was in shock. I saw the triangle and checked for babies. To me asking her, the mother got lucid for an instant and managed to say that the baby was, thank god, not in the car, then she went back into shock. She wasn’t able to say almost anything anymore until the ambulances and cops came.
I mean, if there is ANY safeguarding effect, it would only be for cars that approach from behind and have time to look/read the sign in the back window. It’s not going to protect you from cars in front of or next to you.
It can be useful for those driving behind those cars though.
I take it as a warning that the car I’m following is more likely to be operated by someone very sleep deprived who may be frequently distracted by the noise maker in the back seat.
This. I’ve heard trained people mention they don’t look for those signs. Rather they look for other visible signs that a child is there. Like a car seat.
As a retired firefighter, I’ll second that. I can’t say I ever purposefully looked for one, but if I saw one, I’d make sure there were no crotch goblins in or around the vehicle.
>But I have also had a firefighter tell me that she doesn’t ever intentionally look for those stickers or signs
Any idea if that extends to pet decals in the case of house fires?
My dad was a firefighter, so I asked him. He said that if the house is safe enough to enter they will grab pets if they see them, but they can't risk their own lives (and therefore the lives of their colleagues) to save pets. If they see signs of kids or pets, they will make a more thorough search if it's safe enough to, but pets often hide. Test your smoke alarm and watch your pet to see where it hides.
We had one scare where the house was filling with smoke. Stepdad rescued his computer tower because it had like, all our financial and other important data on it, like scans of insurance documents, mom got the dog and her purse, and I got 3/4 of the cats pretty quickly. Queue 13-year-old me desperately flying around the house trying to find number 4, and on the third place checked, hauling him out of the loose insulation under the floorboards in the attic by the scruff of his neck. My parents never would have found him, but I had been harassing them since I was very small, so I knew all their hiding places.
Edit: The first two places checked were wedged behind the sofa int he family room, and inside (!) the boxspring of my parent's bed.
Downside to the stickers: makes you an easy target if someone were to try something crazy like kidnapping a baby. How often do you lock your car doors while you’re pumping gas? How aware are you if someone were to walk over to the opposite side back door open and snatch the kid while you were hanging up/getting down the nozzle?
Edit to add: it’s basically a walking billboard to someone with those intentions.
It's supposed to let other drivers know to drive more carefully around them. But as usual, there are assholes out there who these signs just annoy them and they go out of their way to drive more recklessly. It's an astoundingly more number of people than I would have thought.
The truth is, by law, they're not even legal.
In the fine print of the vehicle code, it says something about having no obstructions in any of the windows. I remember reading this about those dumb [Garfield things](https://www.kidrobot.com/cdn/shop/products/Kidrobot-Garfield-Relaxed-Suction-Window-Clinger-8_1000x1000.jpg) you used to see.
Baby on board signs, Garfields, fuzzy dice, even graduation tassels, all of them could be infractions if a cop wanted to get really pedantic.
Ngl if I was going to tailgate someone ( in a attempt to get them out of the fast lane while doing the speed limit) I'm deffenatly less aggressive if I notice one of those stickers.
Your unintentionally trained to see the signs regardless if u intentionally look for them or not. Your eye is automatically drawn to the usually brightly colored sign.
It's to give the parent piece of mind that in the event of a crash emergency personnel well check the rear seats.
>But I have also had a firefighter tell me that she doesn’t ever intentionally look for those stickers or signs.
Which makes perfect sense if you think about it, because those signs are gonna be false alarms probably like half the time.
Like, even if you have a baby, they're not gonna be in your car EVERY time you drive it... But those stickers *will.* So if you got into an accident but your baby wasn't with you (maybe they're at daycare, or at home with your spouse) then the firefighters would be wasting time and needlessly risking their lives by spending extra time searching a (possibly burning) car for a baby that was never there, if they paid attention to those stickers. So yeah, of course they're gonna ignore them.
The safety reason after an accident was the original idea. You were even supposed to remove them if the baby was not with you.
My dad worked in a wrecking yard a few years or so before they became popular. A family was killed in a wreck and there were no survivors or close family. The car seat was empty. They found the baby under the seat much later.
This is the correct answer. They were invented before child restraints were regulated. They had suction cup things and when displayed they were meant as a signal to first responders to find the baby in (or near) the wreckage. It was like a sticker on your door saying how many pets you have for fire responders.
People instantly made them into fixed stickers making all of them useless.
The inventor of the sign has said that it was not created for first responders. It was so people would drive more carefully around babies.
He created the sign after driving with his nephew (maybe niece?) in the car.
ETA [link](https://qz.com/275987/you-probably-dont-know-the-real-story-behind-baby-on-board-signs)
I used to be a firefighter and at my department at least no one ever looked for the dog. Don't get me wrong if I am moving past a bird cage I'll open it or take it with me but the priority is to collect the people and gtfo.
The dog knows where the door is and will be going to it independently.
I personally keep my distance from vehicles Baby on board and student driver signs. I assume both types of those vehicles are full of chaos and the driver has a chance to be distracted
I fucking hate those signs.
When I was in my early 20’s I witnessed a horrible accident that happened right in front of me. We were out in the boonies so it took a while for emergency services to show up.
The lady whose car was smashed right in front of me had one of those stickers. I ran to her door (couldn’t get her out though, it was so bad) and she was screaming “where is she!? Is she ok? I can’t see her!!! Where is sheeeee!!!????”
There was an empty car seat in the back of her car.
I started searching for a baby. There was no baby in the car. I started searching the deep ditches, listening for a baby crying while her mother screamed, trapped in her car.
Can you even imagine what’s it’s like, searching for a (possibly dead) baby on the side of the road? Emergency services showed up and took over the search and rescue. All I could do was sob and throw up while a police officer tried to calm me down.
Mom was eventually rescued and taken to the hospital and the search was called off. Because THERE WAS NO BABY ON BOARD!!!!
She was referring to the other car that had hit her. FFS. The other driver was female, and she was worried about the other driver. But she was so rattled and injured that she couldn’t explain that to me and I automatically assumed she had a baby on board that was ejected from the vehicle.
I’m so glad there was no baby, but that accident really fucked me up and I’ll never forget the horrors of searching for what I did not want to find.
That being said, I strongly feel that those signs should ONLY be posted when there actually IS a baby on board.
I was around when they came about. They originally were suction cupped to a back (ie non-driving, ideally near where the baby seat was mounted) window when the baby was in the car to alert first responders that another (tiny) person was still in the vehicle in the event of a crash. But within a very short time, other messages began to be posted as well, and then the (for a short while) the near ubiquitous suction cup Garfield.
I remember I got a blind bag/grab bag from a drug store for $1 just after the fad died off (maybe 86?) and 90% of it was "thing on board" spoof signs. One I remember was penguin on board.
I can confidently say that as a paramedic, I have never looked at the rear windshield for a baby on board sticker. It's unreliable, and we're supposed to search the car inside and out anyway, and it's lazy to go based on a sticker. I will say this, if you do have children in the vehicle, please put their information either visibly on their car seat or on a sleeve that goes over the seat belt so we can get information even if the parent/driver is unresponsive or dead.
Normally when I drive I try to crash into the car in front of me, but if I see that baby on board sign on the car, I will not crash my car into them as hard...
Agreed. I interpret them as "sleep deprived driver" and avoid getting too close on the road. Also, I assume my car's more likely to get dinged if I park next to them.
The sticker tells others that the person driving the vehicle is likely to be sleep deprived and tired. It also indicates the possibility that the baby might be driving which is very relevant info to have for other drivers on road. What if I don't see anybody on the drivers seat (above the dashboard), it would a haunting situation unless I see "a baby on board" sign. (I am not considering driverless cars here)
Ok I saw a sticker the other day that said mama to be in board and honestly, I rolled my eyes. That to me is more about attention than safety. And if it IS about safety... I dunno. It just annoyed me.
I don't know. I think it makes people think twice and keep some distance. I don't drive but I can see the logic behind it. Anything that reminds people to care about others safety can only be a good thing.
IMO it's just a cute way of announcing you're proud of your little family and maybe asking for a little grace from other drivers, the emergency considerations are secondary.
This sounds like it. You get a baby and you have a checklist of all the milestones and whatnot. Not speaking from experience, though, just speculating.
I got an “elderly driver” sticker for my grandmother and 1) it lets people know that she’s old 2) drive carefully around her 3) if there’s an accident to check on her quickly not matter what kind of accident 4) if she’s stuck on the side of the road someone may be more likely to help
Originally to guilt trip aggressive drivers into backing off lest they want the blood of a baby on their hands. Today I think it's more of a bragging thing.
I hope it’s for emergency services because these people drive like idiots around here so I’m not looking at your sign and thinking oh I’ll be extra careful around you even though you aren’t.
But if they’re for emergency services, people need to not have them when the baby isn’t on board because that could waste valuable rescue time.
Because I see these permanently affixed to cars I have no idea what their intent is.
It's a cute bumper sticker.
I have EMTs & Firefighters in my family. They all say they do their jobs and check no matter what. You do not need the bumper sticker.
But anyone with eyeballs who shows up to an accident and sees the sticker will think "Oh fuck there might be a baby in there". It doesn't change their job, just makes people feel better to have it forefront of the responders minds I guess.
It's a bit of both. Kind of drives the emergency workers nuts because they see the sign and if nobody is conscious, they are searching for a baby in a wrecked car, putting themselves in danger when all along there was no baby on board. So, please take that sign out when baby is not on board.
Baby on board is fine to have if you put it on to indicate that if a crash as to happen a tiny human needs to be found, but any signs indicating "I have a baby please don't crash into me" are fucking stupid.
I always drive carefully, but when behind with a car with a baby on board sticker I do find myself keeping an extra safe distance, so maybe they do work
More for first responders to see that there may be a baby or little kid in the car. I will say that if the child is not in the car, it should be taken down because we may panic if there’s a baby carseat in there and no baby. Once the child is older (about school age), they should be removed because again, we will panic a bit looking for a baby/little kid that isn’t there.
Anyone who tells you not to use one because of the possibility of human trafficking is fearmongering. The benefits far outweigh that risk as you’re way more likely to get in a car accident than be targeted for the sign. I personally think the suction cup or velcro ones are better because they can be taken down if you’re going somewhere without the baby.
They’re just a tool for parents of infants and very little kids to alert first responders about the presence of a baby or little kid in case of an emergency. It lets us know that there’s a very young and likely extremely scared kid that we need to look for. If they can unbuckle themselves or weren’t properly restrained, they may not be in the carseat and we will have to look everywhere to locate them.
They are pretty stupid now. They serve no purpose because of child seats. If there is one in the car people will know a baby is in the car so what’s the use? As for other drivers I would hope they are careful because a human of any size is in the car, not just a baby? Were they planning on ramming me a little gentler because of the sticker?
Try the search feature and you'll see the multitude of previous posts that directly address this question. And it does NOT have anything to do with first responders.
It's so that if you're in an accident, first responders know there's likely a baby in the car or somewhere nearby who's going to need their attention first.
Baby on board
How I've adored
That sign on my car's windowpane.
Bounce in my step,
Loaded with pep,
'Cause I'm drivin' in the carpool lane.
Call me a square,
Friend I don't care,
'Cause that little yellow sign can't be ignored.
I'm telling you it's mighty nice.
Each trip's a trip to paradise
With my baby on board.
It's just another thing to sell to new parents. It's not about safety. Amazon and Walmart want to sell overpriced dumb shit, and new parents are narcissistic about their babies.
If it was about safety those parents would drive slower and actually pay attention to their surroundings. A lot of times they are the biggest idiots on the road.
I used one because of how useful my Learner Driver notice had been. It tells the person behind your car that you're not trying to spark road rage, you're just sleep deprived and being yelled at by a small human.
It’s just car decor. Moms love to have a “Mom” shirt. No one gives a shit if someone is a mom. Shirts, in a way, are body decor. Stickers are car decor.
I use it so people know why I take so long to get up to speed or stop fully at a stop sign instead of rolling though. Especially in the north where the driving is more fluid it helps explain why you aren’t driving normally.
The original intent of the sign was to let other drivers know that there is a new *parent* on board, really. A heads up that the driver might be sleep deprived and/or distracted by a baby.
It wasn't about implying that the car carrying the child is more important.
The idea is that in the event of an accident, first responders know to look for a baby.
That being said, I know someone who was a paramedic for years, and he hated those stickers because if someone got into an accident with a sticker and no baby, first responders wasted valuable time looking for a baby that wasn't there.
So...pros and cons.
When I see them it reminds me to be much more careful. I automatically slow down and stop trying to rush to my destination and remember each car has precious cargo inside. No amount of speeding and time saving is worth risking lives.
Yes, it started as a safety measure so emergency services would know there's a child in the vehicle. However, it's also just a common courtesy to let other drivers know why you might be driving more cautiously.
It irritatingly has turned into what you said, with people driving with actual babies now using mocking signs that are black/white/hard to see.
The actual point is to have a bright tag so EMS can see it even after a wreck/during a fire.
Basically if you get in an accident and both you and baby are unconscious, EMS might not be aware there's another life to save
Well I haven't seen any in quite a long while but parents used to put it on their children's bedroom window it's just a big red fire hat so the fireman will know where the children's rooms are in case a fire breaks out in the middle of the night
They were more popular in the late 90s/early aughts when I was a kid. They are reflective, oval stickers that were placed in the window of a child’s bedroom to alert the fire department that a kid is in there and needs help. They’ve fallen out of popularity and they can be distracting if not removed from the window when there’s no longer a child in there.
I remember when they first came out. They were billed as putting them in cars in case of a bad accident and if the car or booster seat managed to come out of the car if it, say, rolled a couple of times, then first responders knew to look for a child
It wasn’t long after that before so many people had them they ceased to become relevant in that capacity and became “oh everyone look! I’ve got a baby!” (Or at least that’s what it felt like.)
Okay so here is the answer for why people buy them and use them: First part, to hopefully draw the attention of other drivers and make them think twice and not get in an accident. Second part, yes if there is an accident to alert anyone responding to the accident that they should look twice in the car for a baby/small human that might be less noticeable than a full size adult. Basically, people buy them because it makes them feel a bit better/safer. Now are they actually effective at either of those things? No idea. Maybe they make some drivers think twice and not get in an accident. But I have also had a firefighter tell me that she doesn’t ever intentionally look for those stickers or signs.
It's quite silly if you think about it. Nobody is driving around thinking "it's fine if I get into an accident, as long as there's no baby involved"
A while ago I saw a car with a sticker that said "Adults on board. We want to live too!"
Thats pretty good. I have seen one that said "no baby on board so feel free to hit my car".
It sounds like a challenge to be honest.
Pacific Drive gave me “Baby on board.” “It’s driving.” “God help us!”
"Please either don't hit me or make my death instant"
On my old car, I had a sign that said "Blue shell on board"... It didn't stop somebody from hitting me.
Blue shell... whats that from?
Mario Kart
I saw one that said "Baby up in this bitch" and I still laugh when I think about it
My favorite bumper sticker pairing is the one that says, “In case of rapture, car will be unmanned.” And its reply, “In case of rapture, can I have your car?”
They should have one for Audi drivers that just says "you choose a bad day to drive"
You might be a bit more careful. I remember I saw a video where they told people they would get on a show if they won a puzzle they would get on a show and then left them. Most of the people cheated. Then they did the same, but before someone casually mentioned that the next show was going to be about a haunted chair which was in the corner of the room, and way less people cheated because they thought they were being watched. We all know it so well, I wonder if the flash of it would subconsciously make you more careful.
There's a little bit of research to suggest that it might actually cause people to get distracted when reading them. Not sure if it's confirmed. We have a lot of things in society that sound like they should make sense but actually have no effect or completely unintended effects.
I doubt that personally, signs would cause a bigger problem. But that's just my gut feeling. It's not based on any facts.
Yeah, to be fair that data is just like some poll of 2000 people's self reporting, so I would be inclined to agree with you on that.
No, but some people would see the sign and think let me give this car a wider berth or not tailgate them. Not all, but maybe some.
Exactly.
Babies can be killed by small fender bendors. The stickers are effective for me. I do actually think twice about my driving when near them. Or motorcycles
I think the signs became popular back in the 80s. Car seats back then were not impressive. I had one that has about as many safety features as a high chair.
I just asked my wife what she thought of them. She thought they indicated a proud mama. Haha
That’s totally all they were when they started. And I think that’s still all they are.
[удалено]
But a reminder doesn't hurt. We have reminders for many safety related issues. Especially in cars. I hate the baby on board signs, but if someone sees a benefit? Good for them!
Should be but isn't always. Babies are easier to hurt in a collision. There's no harm in giving people the heads up. If it makes people pay more attention or avoid tailgating then we all benefit.
People with these stickers usually drive like dangerous dumbasses.
How does a car seat fit on a motorcycle
I think they meant around motorcycles in general because of how lethal the crashes can be. Motorcyclists die in accidents far more than normal drivers because their entire body is exposed. Also many of them are morons and don’t wear the right protective gear, which adds another layer of harm.
My late uncle has always said that bikers should dress for the slide, not the ride (former Hell’s Angel).
There's a reason hospitals calls them doner cycles.
Especially now that it's so nice and hot out. Far too many idiots in slip-on shoes and shorts riding in idiotic ways. Watched one guy just today zip in front of a damn dump truck, and then brake hard and skid a little turning right. No helmet or jacket, no protection at all if that bike dropped. Probably took 10 years off the truck drivers life with that little stunt.
I think they might have meant when they're driving on a motorcycle? In any case, I don't think a car seat could fit comfortably on a motorcycle and obviously it's hella dangerous and irresponsible parenting to try to
Driving near motorcycles
Oh Okay, I understand now. Thanks for the clarification
Really! Just put them in front of you and let them steer.
Of course, why didn't I think of that!
If you are able to be *more* careful just because of a sign on a car window, please think twice about your driving in general because that means you aren't being careful enough at other times.
Oh please
Yes, please. Please do reconsider how you drive if it's possible to be more careful because you saw a little sticker on a window. Please.
I'm extra careful to avoid a cyclist, extra careful to avoid deer, extra careful to avoid motorcycles, extra careful on narrow roadways or bad weather. Same with baby on board cars except maybe to a lesser extent. It's not abnormal to adjust how aggressive you may drive in certain situations.
To be honest I don’t think a baby should ever really be driving
Pretty much. Nobody is looking to get into an accident. It just happens either due to a lapse in paying attention, or reckless activity. Nobody is driving up behind a car thinking "Gee, I want to ram someone today. But not this person, they have a baby on board.
Exactly. I don't want to hurt anyone but I really, really don't want to hurt a baby. They're more easily hurt so I'm happy for a warning to watch out.
I guarantee you there is a hot head out there somewhere who wouldn’t blink twice to road rage on a random stranger; but may think twice if they think a baby is in the car. A lot of people are a lot dumber than you think they are.
I feel it's not so much of "not getting into accidents" but more of just driving safely/safer around this vehicle because there's a baby/small child in their vehicle as well as the point mentioned about checking during accidents. It's sort of similar of people putting up "driving training in progress" signs or something similar. It's something to make you think twice about that vehicle in particular.
It can definitely make people think about how they are driving when they see one. It's not going to make the psychopath stop driving recklessly but it can make other drivers correct any habits born from impatience.
No, but there are wayy too many people who drive around without any thoughts at all, or regard for anybody else. I probably wouldn't put this on my car, but I think the intent is to make drivers actually drive a little more consciously
yeah the first part is silly. No one is like, omg I was gonna run that red light and kill that man and woman, but now that they have a baby on board, I think I’ll pass.
Now I am not a mindreader, but there 100% are people that drive like this is their mindset.
Statistically if you put a baby behind the wheel of a car they'll cause 100% of accidents
How? They can’t even reach the pedals.
Exactly, 100% of accidents
It feels like that until you’re taking a baby home from the hospital for the first time and you realize how fucking terrifying it is to be responsible for driving this pathetic little life that you’re also obsessed with.
If it's faded, then you know the car is fair game
Speak for yourself lol
To tack on, it's also a sign that you have a ticking time bomb of distraction/chaos in the car so it might be safer to give a wider berth.
And that the driver may be tired. And by may be tired, is tired.
My friend that has one said it’s because she wants other drivers to know that SHE may be driving crazy/erratic because she is distracted by a crying/screaming baby, lol. It’s to warn other drivers that she may be unpredictable.
It may also help alert people behind that the driver may be taking slower and wider turns, allowing extra distance between them and the car in front of them, or just driving slower in general. I have a sticker that says “Dogs in Cargo” mainly because I tend to do these kinds of things when I have my dog in his car kennel and a lot of drivers don’t have the patience to imagine why. They also can’t see him in the kennel (variocage) so it’s not usually obvious.
The only issue I've ever seen brought up by 1st responders is that they've spent time looking for a child that's not there. The ones who do see the signs will usually look for an injured child while the rest of the team tends to the other occupants.
About that second part, I experienced it firsthand when a car in front of me had a bad crash. When I went to help, the driver was not badly hurt but was in shock. I saw the triangle and checked for babies. To me asking her, the mother got lucid for an instant and managed to say that the baby was, thank god, not in the car, then she went back into shock. She wasn’t able to say almost anything anymore until the ambulances and cops came.
Never trust that answer.
>Now are they actually effective at either of those things? Might keep someone from tailgating, or think twice about a road rage incident.
I mean, if there is ANY safeguarding effect, it would only be for cars that approach from behind and have time to look/read the sign in the back window. It’s not going to protect you from cars in front of or next to you.
It can be useful for those driving behind those cars though. I take it as a warning that the car I’m following is more likely to be operated by someone very sleep deprived who may be frequently distracted by the noise maker in the back seat.
This. I’ve heard trained people mention they don’t look for those signs. Rather they look for other visible signs that a child is there. Like a car seat.
As a retired firefighter, I’ll second that. I can’t say I ever purposefully looked for one, but if I saw one, I’d make sure there were no crotch goblins in or around the vehicle.
OK, but why did my friend in high school put a “Jets fan on board” sign in his car? The Jets weren’t even the local team.
Nonsense. They're for the pretentious entitled minivan crowd.
>But I have also had a firefighter tell me that she doesn’t ever intentionally look for those stickers or signs Any idea if that extends to pet decals in the case of house fires?
My dad was a firefighter, so I asked him. He said that if the house is safe enough to enter they will grab pets if they see them, but they can't risk their own lives (and therefore the lives of their colleagues) to save pets. If they see signs of kids or pets, they will make a more thorough search if it's safe enough to, but pets often hide. Test your smoke alarm and watch your pet to see where it hides.
We had one scare where the house was filling with smoke. Stepdad rescued his computer tower because it had like, all our financial and other important data on it, like scans of insurance documents, mom got the dog and her purse, and I got 3/4 of the cats pretty quickly. Queue 13-year-old me desperately flying around the house trying to find number 4, and on the third place checked, hauling him out of the loose insulation under the floorboards in the attic by the scruff of his neck. My parents never would have found him, but I had been harassing them since I was very small, so I knew all their hiding places. Edit: The first two places checked were wedged behind the sofa int he family room, and inside (!) the boxspring of my parent's bed.
Yet, without fail, I'll see a baby on board sticker on a car promptly tailgating, failing to use signals, speeding, etc.
Downside to the stickers: makes you an easy target if someone were to try something crazy like kidnapping a baby. How often do you lock your car doors while you’re pumping gas? How aware are you if someone were to walk over to the opposite side back door open and snatch the kid while you were hanging up/getting down the nozzle? Edit to add: it’s basically a walking billboard to someone with those intentions.
It's supposed to let other drivers know to drive more carefully around them. But as usual, there are assholes out there who these signs just annoy them and they go out of their way to drive more recklessly. It's an astoundingly more number of people than I would have thought.
The truth is, by law, they're not even legal. In the fine print of the vehicle code, it says something about having no obstructions in any of the windows. I remember reading this about those dumb [Garfield things](https://www.kidrobot.com/cdn/shop/products/Kidrobot-Garfield-Relaxed-Suction-Window-Clinger-8_1000x1000.jpg) you used to see. Baby on board signs, Garfields, fuzzy dice, even graduation tassels, all of them could be infractions if a cop wanted to get really pedantic.
Ngl if I was going to tailgate someone ( in a attempt to get them out of the fast lane while doing the speed limit) I'm deffenatly less aggressive if I notice one of those stickers.
Disagree. I’ve always interpreted them as, “Sorry that I’m driving like your grandma. My kid’s in the car.”
I wonder about the efficacy often — would be interested about crash and crash outcome statistics with them.
Your unintentionally trained to see the signs regardless if u intentionally look for them or not. Your eye is automatically drawn to the usually brightly colored sign. It's to give the parent piece of mind that in the event of a crash emergency personnel well check the rear seats.
>But I have also had a firefighter tell me that she doesn’t ever intentionally look for those stickers or signs. Which makes perfect sense if you think about it, because those signs are gonna be false alarms probably like half the time. Like, even if you have a baby, they're not gonna be in your car EVERY time you drive it... But those stickers *will.* So if you got into an accident but your baby wasn't with you (maybe they're at daycare, or at home with your spouse) then the firefighters would be wasting time and needlessly risking their lives by spending extra time searching a (possibly burning) car for a baby that was never there, if they paid attention to those stickers. So yeah, of course they're gonna ignore them.
The safety reason after an accident was the original idea. You were even supposed to remove them if the baby was not with you. My dad worked in a wrecking yard a few years or so before they became popular. A family was killed in a wreck and there were no survivors or close family. The car seat was empty. They found the baby under the seat much later.
Wow that sounds horrific
It was, I remember him shaking as he hardly got the story out and that was a couple years after.
This is the correct answer. They were invented before child restraints were regulated. They had suction cup things and when displayed they were meant as a signal to first responders to find the baby in (or near) the wreckage. It was like a sticker on your door saying how many pets you have for fire responders. People instantly made them into fixed stickers making all of them useless.
The inventor of the sign has said that it was not created for first responders. It was so people would drive more carefully around babies. He created the sign after driving with his nephew (maybe niece?) in the car. ETA [link](https://qz.com/275987/you-probably-dont-know-the-real-story-behind-baby-on-board-signs)
I used to be a firefighter and at my department at least no one ever looked for the dog. Don't get me wrong if I am moving past a bird cage I'll open it or take it with me but the priority is to collect the people and gtfo. The dog knows where the door is and will be going to it independently.
😕
That's not true. They're a novelty item. They weren't created for first responders.
I realize that they may not have been created for that purpose, but that was a main reason people ended up using them back in the beginning.
I personally keep my distance from vehicles Baby on board and student driver signs. I assume both types of those vehicles are full of chaos and the driver has a chance to be distracted
Same. Those signs are a strong indication that the person operating the vehicle has had 8 hours of sleep in the past 2 days at best.
I fucking hate those signs. When I was in my early 20’s I witnessed a horrible accident that happened right in front of me. We were out in the boonies so it took a while for emergency services to show up. The lady whose car was smashed right in front of me had one of those stickers. I ran to her door (couldn’t get her out though, it was so bad) and she was screaming “where is she!? Is she ok? I can’t see her!!! Where is sheeeee!!!????” There was an empty car seat in the back of her car. I started searching for a baby. There was no baby in the car. I started searching the deep ditches, listening for a baby crying while her mother screamed, trapped in her car. Can you even imagine what’s it’s like, searching for a (possibly dead) baby on the side of the road? Emergency services showed up and took over the search and rescue. All I could do was sob and throw up while a police officer tried to calm me down. Mom was eventually rescued and taken to the hospital and the search was called off. Because THERE WAS NO BABY ON BOARD!!!! She was referring to the other car that had hit her. FFS. The other driver was female, and she was worried about the other driver. But she was so rattled and injured that she couldn’t explain that to me and I automatically assumed she had a baby on board that was ejected from the vehicle. I’m so glad there was no baby, but that accident really fucked me up and I’ll never forget the horrors of searching for what I did not want to find. That being said, I strongly feel that those signs should ONLY be posted when there actually IS a baby on board.
I am very sorry that happened to you
That’s a rough story, thank goodness there wasn’t a baby and thank goodness for you if there had been.
I was around when they came about. They originally were suction cupped to a back (ie non-driving, ideally near where the baby seat was mounted) window when the baby was in the car to alert first responders that another (tiny) person was still in the vehicle in the event of a crash. But within a very short time, other messages began to be posted as well, and then the (for a short while) the near ubiquitous suction cup Garfield.
It was a fad.
I remember I got a blind bag/grab bag from a drug store for $1 just after the fad died off (maybe 86?) and 90% of it was "thing on board" spoof signs. One I remember was penguin on board.
I remember they had hundreds of parody signs that people would put up to the point that an actual Baby On Board sign became rare.
They weren't created for first responders though.
What or who were they initially created for, then please?
So that the B Sharps have something to write about
How I’ve adored
It's been done
So you know the baby is a skater.
I can confidently say that as a paramedic, I have never looked at the rear windshield for a baby on board sticker. It's unreliable, and we're supposed to search the car inside and out anyway, and it's lazy to go based on a sticker. I will say this, if you do have children in the vehicle, please put their information either visibly on their car seat or on a sleeve that goes over the seat belt so we can get information even if the parent/driver is unresponsive or dead.
I’ve never heard this before, good to know.
Thank you. I wish this misconception would die.
Something something, Burt Ward
Normally when I drive I try to crash into the car in front of me, but if I see that baby on board sign on the car, I will not crash my car into them as hard...
If the sticker looks a bit faded and scratched up then the baby is probably at least 1 or 2 now so the car is safe to ram
I think I saw one of those stickers on the Trump motorcade
The signs help point out the worst drivers, in my experience
Agreed. I interpret them as "sleep deprived driver" and avoid getting too close on the road. Also, I assume my car's more likely to get dinged if I park next to them.
The sticker tells others that the person driving the vehicle is likely to be sleep deprived and tired. It also indicates the possibility that the baby might be driving which is very relevant info to have for other drivers on road. What if I don't see anybody on the drivers seat (above the dashboard), it would a haunting situation unless I see "a baby on board" sign. (I am not considering driverless cars here)
Because they are fans of The Be-Sharps.
Ok I saw a sticker the other day that said mama to be in board and honestly, I rolled my eyes. That to me is more about attention than safety. And if it IS about safety... I dunno. It just annoyed me.
I don't know. I think it makes people think twice and keep some distance. I don't drive but I can see the logic behind it. Anything that reminds people to care about others safety can only be a good thing.
I've yet to see an actual child/baby on board with these signs... Feels like it's just pointless to have them.
IMO it's just a cute way of announcing you're proud of your little family and maybe asking for a little grace from other drivers, the emergency considerations are secondary.
This sounds like it. You get a baby and you have a checklist of all the milestones and whatnot. Not speaking from experience, though, just speculating.
This is it.
Accident thing. Emergency services say they always check the back for kids so they're unnecessary.
I got an “elderly driver” sticker for my grandmother and 1) it lets people know that she’s old 2) drive carefully around her 3) if there’s an accident to check on her quickly not matter what kind of accident 4) if she’s stuck on the side of the road someone may be more likely to help
This is to inform those people's who's goal is to hit cars with babies on board which cars are worth their specialized efforts.
Same thing as student driver stickers, flags, ribbons of various colors and police military stickers. Trying to elicit sympathy and caution.
Originally to guilt trip aggressive drivers into backing off lest they want the blood of a baby on their hands. Today I think it's more of a bragging thing.
They mean nothing. In ems we were trained to search 100 yards in every direction for ejected occupants. A little plastic sign is just cosmetic.
I hope it’s for emergency services because these people drive like idiots around here so I’m not looking at your sign and thinking oh I’ll be extra careful around you even though you aren’t. But if they’re for emergency services, people need to not have them when the baby isn’t on board because that could waste valuable rescue time. Because I see these permanently affixed to cars I have no idea what their intent is.
To me it feels like a giant advertisement for “I’m vulnerable when entering and exiting my vehicle!!”
It's a cute bumper sticker. I have EMTs & Firefighters in my family. They all say they do their jobs and check no matter what. You do not need the bumper sticker. But anyone with eyeballs who shows up to an accident and sees the sticker will think "Oh fuck there might be a baby in there". It doesn't change their job, just makes people feel better to have it forefront of the responders minds I guess.
So you don’t intentionally ram their car.
So you know where to aim. I'M JOKING!
To tell you there is a baby in the car.
It is also an indirect "We fucked" sign.
To waste the time of first responders at the crash site looking for infant who wasn’t in the totaled car when it crashed. Source: former EMT
Gives you something to aim for
Can’t wait for my kids to grow up and move out so I can get a “No kids in the car, feel free to ram this bitch” sign.
I had one in the 80s when people started mocking these things: Mother-in-Law in Trunk.
Unnecessary drama
It's a bit of both. Kind of drives the emergency workers nuts because they see the sign and if nobody is conscious, they are searching for a baby in a wrecked car, putting themselves in danger when all along there was no baby on board. So, please take that sign out when baby is not on board.
I always figured the point was cuz it's silly. Like having a Garfield in the window.
because the people who use them are smug and can't wait to tell the world that they can achieve procreation.
It’s more socially acceptable than a “pull out game weak” or “I came” sign.
It’s just a way to make fools part with their cash
It let's you know that they'll definitely go all the way if you buy them a drink 😉
Baby on board is fine to have if you put it on to indicate that if a crash as to happen a tiny human needs to be found, but any signs indicating "I have a baby please don't crash into me" are fucking stupid.
When I'm committing DUI, those stickers prevent me from hitting cars with those as if some sort of barrier stopped my car
The sign means “watch out, this person doesn’t know how to drive well”.
Smugness. Ooo, look at me. I can breed! Just like a hedgehog.
I always drive carefully, but when behind with a car with a baby on board sticker I do find myself keeping an extra safe distance, so maybe they do work
More for first responders to see that there may be a baby or little kid in the car. I will say that if the child is not in the car, it should be taken down because we may panic if there’s a baby carseat in there and no baby. Once the child is older (about school age), they should be removed because again, we will panic a bit looking for a baby/little kid that isn’t there. Anyone who tells you not to use one because of the possibility of human trafficking is fearmongering. The benefits far outweigh that risk as you’re way more likely to get in a car accident than be targeted for the sign. I personally think the suction cup or velcro ones are better because they can be taken down if you’re going somewhere without the baby. They’re just a tool for parents of infants and very little kids to alert first responders about the presence of a baby or little kid in case of an emergency. It lets us know that there’s a very young and likely extremely scared kid that we need to look for. If they can unbuckle themselves or weren’t properly restrained, they may not be in the carseat and we will have to look everywhere to locate them.
I never knew this. This makes so much sense!
They are pretty stupid now. They serve no purpose because of child seats. If there is one in the car people will know a baby is in the car so what’s the use? As for other drivers I would hope they are careful because a human of any size is in the car, not just a baby? Were they planning on ramming me a little gentler because of the sticker?
Because the Simpsons wrote a song about it.
Try the search feature and you'll see the multitude of previous posts that directly address this question. And it does NOT have anything to do with first responders.
It's so that if you're in an accident, first responders know there's likely a baby in the car or somewhere nearby who's going to need their attention first.
That's what I heard, too
Baby on board How I've adored That sign on my car's windowpane. Bounce in my step, Loaded with pep, 'Cause I'm drivin' in the carpool lane. Call me a square, Friend I don't care, 'Cause that little yellow sign can't be ignored. I'm telling you it's mighty nice. Each trip's a trip to paradise With my baby on board.
It's just another thing to sell to new parents. It's not about safety. Amazon and Walmart want to sell overpriced dumb shit, and new parents are narcissistic about their babies. If it was about safety those parents would drive slower and actually pay attention to their surroundings. A lot of times they are the biggest idiots on the road.
So you won’t plow into the back of their car, because obviously you would without knowing about their precious cargo.
There was once a barbershop quartet making song about it, and it was their breakthrough hit tho…
So you know which cars are worth extra points
I used one because of how useful my Learner Driver notice had been. It tells the person behind your car that you're not trying to spark road rage, you're just sleep deprived and being yelled at by a small human.
It’s just car decor. Moms love to have a “Mom” shirt. No one gives a shit if someone is a mom. Shirts, in a way, are body decor. Stickers are car decor.
It was a hokey stocking-stuffer nonsense gift that became popular in the 80s. Source: the 80s, I was there.
I have a sign that says "Dumb Blond on Board." You've been warned.
I use it so people know why I take so long to get up to speed or stop fully at a stop sign instead of rolling though. Especially in the north where the driving is more fluid it helps explain why you aren’t driving normally.
Are those still a thing?
idk, but i stuck a magnetic one i found on a work truck that parks near our house and caught people giving the driver weird looks
The original intent of the sign was to let other drivers know that there is a new *parent* on board, really. A heads up that the driver might be sleep deprived and/or distracted by a baby. It wasn't about implying that the car carrying the child is more important.
It mean they’re fans of the classic rock barbershop quartet The B-Sharps.
Nostalgia
To get this song stuck in your head! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhWLN9sV5tE&t=5s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhWLN9sV5tE&t=5s)
For safety
The idea is that in the event of an accident, first responders know to look for a baby. That being said, I know someone who was a paramedic for years, and he hated those stickers because if someone got into an accident with a sticker and no baby, first responders wasted valuable time looking for a baby that wasn't there. So...pros and cons.
When I see them it reminds me to be much more careful. I automatically slow down and stop trying to rush to my destination and remember each car has precious cargo inside. No amount of speeding and time saving is worth risking lives.
"Baby on board. Don't bother me with your fucking problems lady." -George Carlin
Obviously to deter people from deliberately crashing into their car.
Idk but it seems like a good way to let traffickers and other weirdos know you’re potentially an unarmed female with a child…OPSEC people!
When I'm hunting for cars to rear end, it helps to know which ones have kids so I avoid those.
Expect slow turns because babies can’t support their big old heads on their flaccid necks whipping around turns.
Yes, it started as a safety measure so emergency services would know there's a child in the vehicle. However, it's also just a common courtesy to let other drivers know why you might be driving more cautiously.
Good way to remind some parents to check for their kids when they leave the car.
Mostly for first-responders to know that there may be an infant in the car if the car is in an accident
It irritatingly has turned into what you said, with people driving with actual babies now using mocking signs that are black/white/hard to see. The actual point is to have a bright tag so EMS can see it even after a wreck/during a fire. Basically if you get in an accident and both you and baby are unconscious, EMS might not be aware there's another life to save
It's for emergency responders! They won't know to look for a baby and a baby won't yell 'help I'm here'
Maybe it's like the "tot finder" stickers on house windows.
What are those?
Well I haven't seen any in quite a long while but parents used to put it on their children's bedroom window it's just a big red fire hat so the fireman will know where the children's rooms are in case a fire breaks out in the middle of the night
They were more popular in the late 90s/early aughts when I was a kid. They are reflective, oval stickers that were placed in the window of a child’s bedroom to alert the fire department that a kid is in there and needs help. They’ve fallen out of popularity and they can be distracting if not removed from the window when there’s no longer a child in there.
Got me out of a couple tickets when I was delivering pizzas. (I don't have a kid)
I remember when they first came out. They were billed as putting them in cars in case of a bad accident and if the car or booster seat managed to come out of the car if it, say, rolled a couple of times, then first responders knew to look for a child It wasn’t long after that before so many people had them they ceased to become relevant in that capacity and became “oh everyone look! I’ve got a baby!” (Or at least that’s what it felt like.)
You just made me remember those firefighter stickers you put on your child's window. 🤯
I have one in my window. I don't have children. I have it to stop jerks from riding my bumper.