Children killed or seriously injured

just watch it.

They need to be educated the consequences of. Education thru media will be very effective. Just imagine something 'Belt it or loose it' with some horrific accident picture. At the same time it needs enforcement. Even in the civilized society if they do not have fear of penalties, I would imagine you will see some cases there also.

Its their taking for good. One day things will happen and they will begin to learn the negative impact. Hoping its never too late for them to regret.

lets not kid ourselves, there was a health promotion drive regarding child seats a while ago, fat lot of good that did, also, lets not try to push the holier than thou view on these people either......its a culture thing, whether we like it or not.....not much people can do really.......best we keep our own children strapped up and let these fools carry on with their free mobile airbags!!!

visit hospital childrens ward and tell them everythings going to be alright. sad

the one i really hate is when parent put up a sign behind the car (Child on Board), but drive like a maniac.

They expect people to be aware of their presence... but still they r the one who have to ensure their child safety inside the car.

so they should put it at the front... just to remind them who they r driving...

Let them feel bad... Stop them and try to educate them ...

let them go rash on you, let them say "its none of your business"...

Remember you are doing this to save an innocent, not to teach a screw head...

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Wow Angelina what a comment so kids that are born to stupid parents deserve to die? They just need to have someone help them learn the right thing but you would prefer they DIE when they can be easily influenced and taught! This country is just developing, its acutally very historical what we have taking place all around us, much like the days of the Wild West in the US. Lovely, I bet you don't help defenseless animals either?

Steve is on vacation or what?

Everything's gonna be alright!!!

the kids are innocent in all of this and we should be civilised enough to always care about children.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

The parents don't give a toss about their kids so why the hell should we????

Thanks for the advice dee dee , i know what you mean.

PM,

Not only in the US, Canada, Europe, etc... including UK!

Brit has been in this region for sooooooooo long that he developed a sever case of Stockholm Syndrome.

I agree, PM. The police in the US are very good about enforcing seat-belt and child-restraint laws. They have had their hearts broken too many times by dealing with the consequences of people not obeying these laws.

Mandi

What exiled saint wrote is the "unpolished" truth. Sometimes if speaking nicely does not get the message across, we have to speak with "brutal" frankness.

I realize that you like to make excuses for everything that people criticize here but believe me, driving without restraining your child properly in the US is uncommon and results in a very large fine (which is enough to produce the desired results).

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

of seeing so many people (including Qataris) disregard the law and all common sense in the process endangering their children that leaves many of us frustrated and hopeless that people here will ever use basic common since and restrain their children according to the law. I have had more than one Arab explain to me that it is Qadr Allah (I am a Muslim) and that is basically what mikayla'smom was saying.

And btw, there is NO REASON that learning to follow the laws should be so difficult for Qataris or residents in Qatar. It happens in every other country on earth (except maybe Somalia).

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

Sorry its stupidity to drive with a child on the lap or standing. I noticed many a driver with children in the car doing this as well as parents. We call them human air bags as they will die but not the parents. It should be classified as child abuse. I found the only way to make a difference is I motion to the child when I see them unbelted and I show them the belt and point then they tell their parent. Another time at a roundabout I gently motioned to a father and he had a hell of time trying to lock the kid in a seat belt as it was obvious he had never been in one. It actually works when done in the right manner. Even in the US only 70-80% of people seat belt but for sure you would go to jail if you had a kid standing the way the do here. One day in Bin Omran a baby was literally sitting in the road I stopped my car and when searching for the parents. When I went to one villa the baby was reaching out to the maid and I yelled so the mother could hear they should be more careful. So one by one we will make a difference if we try.

unfortunately if you do that you will likely get thrown out of the country. Just ask the hundreds of people who tried to help the laborers this past spring by taking them food and care packages. They were set to be deported for "proselytizing". Only last minute deliberations by cooler heads (with clout) got the deportation orders lifted at the last minute. Qatari's don't like to be shown in a bad light by the expats. It will take change from within. It's slowly improving (at least they now have a law that no children can be in the front seat) but will still take a long long time.

in this part of the world.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

begins when you're young, also true on road discipline. What can you expect of these youngsters when they themselves drive a car of their own?

steve

ok how organising a huge march along the corniche with banners and placards , but we do it in the road to halt the traffic,

ok we all get nicked, but it will make the front pages ,

and when it gets to public prosecution surely they will throw it out because they will be able to see we were just trying to help the children

if this action saves just one life then hey,its been worth it!

bitmenow

Idealman,

Your way of thinking and logic applies in societies that have achieved (as Brit labeled it), a certain amount of "societal evolution", aka degree of civilized behavior.

Unfortunately, one cannot expectthis from societies that got quickly modernized in the surface only (fruit of petrodollars) and remain somehow primitive (closed and uneducated).

It will eventually change, but it will take generations and many many many posts like yours and many more open criticisms like ours!

steve

Surely though there is someone in QF with their finger on the button , who knows the mentality of the people involved , and can therefore address the situation properly so people can begin to understand the consequences of such behaviour

One childs life saved makes everything worth looking at

i dont know , i would just hate to witness one of these accidents involving unrestrained toddlers , it would make me want to pack up and leave.

Something must be done.

idealman,

apparently they already said it - "START THINKING" - but they won't listen!

steve i wonder what qf have to say about this.

LOL....i have serious doubts! ;-)

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

Is that a picture of Pajju with his "other" family ?

"QF" is the wife of the "people in power"

The Laws are already there, but the majority are ignoring them.

I have to agree to the Qatar Foundation slogans that they have posted all over Town, like

Think

Elevate

Growth

May be QF is trying to give the people in power a hint?

-----------------

"HE WHO DARES WINS"

Derek Edward Trotter

Two hands up for the second one,brit....the way people drive with their kids back in my home country is verily insane to put it simply! :S

a pic is worth a thousand words...amen!

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

OK..

Hands up those of us who have driven in other countries .

Hands up those of us where this is quite common IN OUR OWN countries.

I agree with Cynbob. It requires certain amount of "societal evolution" and the strict enforcement of the law.

actually i feel that people tend to take things for granted when it comes to themselves."oh i'm a careful driver.let these people ger hyper if they want to.nothing's going to happen to my baby"....even if a hundred lectures are given and exorbitant fines levied in the event of breaking a law,people are still unwilling to accept a law or understand that it is for their own good that such laws have been laid down.

a change in attitude or a little bit more maturity in attitude is what is needed.nothing else will work if that is not there.

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

What is needed is not just strict enforcement of the law, but for these parents to be made aware of the consequences of their actions.

Children will always be children. We as parents should know better.

Which is preferable...a child strapped in safely, even if wailing his/her lungs out Or a child six feet under, not being able to hear or hold for the rest of our life?.

cynbob,

It requires a certain degree of civilization, not yet attained!

You're preaching to the choir! We all know this, but why aren't the responsible people of Qatar listening???

That's what is needed regardlesss the position, religion, nationality, vehicle type (you name it)

Law Enforcer

I agree with these guys because it's TRUE! The law is in place, but there is no consequences for breaking the law!!!

What was written by Exiled and Magic is the hurtful truth and people don't like to read or hear the truth.

Whatever!

Qatar is obviously a place where the rule of law, does NOT apply yet!

MikaylasMom said I think they look at it like ...

I think they look at it like if the children die, then it was Allah's will, and nothing we say or do is going to change how they feel about that

well you are completely missing the point here.. i understand you dont like THEM , but there is no need to say it like that..

little consideration and human respect for THEm is appericated

qatar is full of laws that is hard to inforce, from small things like smoking in public to much important things like trafic laws or immegeration

some people even though they have the dvantage of seeing things first hand and the ability to interact with locals still love to throw comments like your comment,, pure hate

I see a lot of near-misses and wreckless driving practices on a daily basis with no regards to human life and child safety. My wife witnessed yesterday a child sleeping on a little space above dash board close to the windscreen! What we say about this? Parents/drivers need to be safety concious and strictly adhere to the traffic law... Human life is precious than 4X4s...

Award winning logic..."ruls are for fools!" :-D everybody starts thinking this way and the world will be nothing short of paradise....LOL

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

when accidents happen. Parents are responsible for their kids inside the car. Whether the law is in place or not!

ruls are for fools!

And i like your thinking adeel_9298 . one more off the road,, a safer plae for us all.. love your thinking man

Rules are a guideline for intelligent people, but they must be adhered to by idiots.

Change takes time. The responsibility lies foremost with the parents and secondly with the government.

Parents need to be educated on the safety issues and adherence to laws.

Lets face it if their kids die its very sad for their families and the only other people that will care are the land cruiser salesmen who will lose future sales...

ummjake

"But they cry and don't like it," they'll say.

For this parents I say is better that the kids cry now instead of you cry after with regrets!

I've rolled my window down many times and tried to explain to some people how their children will become human projectiles in the event of an accident. They always say "but they don't like the carseat/seatbelt" I tell them it's better to listen to their cries then to visit their grave. If they can't be bothered, then I can't be bothered with them. I'm almost to the point of being with MD on this one. It's natural selection at it's best. Weeding out the idiots of the gene pool.

i saw a young mom with her little toddler on her lap driving a BMW X6 just today morning on my way to work.she had a little one prancing around at the back too.gave me the jitters.like i remember the time i had to take one of my cats to the vet and she wanted to sit at my feet or on my lap inside the car coz she was feeling scared.had a tough time driving that day.can't even think of driving with a baby on my lap! :-S

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

It's a matter of civilized behavior.

Its just not there and if they don't even care about the law and the officials don’t even care about enforcing it, what can the expats do to educate an entire society who doesn’t give a damn about those expats?

I know it’s sad as we all witness it daily, careless mothers and fathers driving with kids loose jumping around the car – not too far from animal's behavior!

I've been horrified to see on numerous occasions, a child sat on the driver's lap. In the UK, there are adverts on TV reminding you of the consequences of not restraining children or adults in the back and they definitely have an impact. Perhaps they should show these adverts here?

My son has never been in a car without his car seat unless we're in a taxi and even then he is strapped in with the adult seat belt. He may cry occasionally, but I'm doing it for his own good!

Indeed it was that lame excuse by her when my son asked to belt her 3 n 1/2 yrs old. He said further that the child may hit the windscreen if the car suddenly comes to an hault. My friend's answer was ," His father is very safe driver"...now GOSH...!!!!!!

She has 2 kids below 8 and they both use to jump and dance and play in the car....verrry verrry naughty, you know?

Everything's gonna be alright!!!

adeel I speak the words of truth, the sword of righteous indignation, the balance wii board of justice....

steve

Would you advise getting the parents attention , and asking them politely to belt their children in, as it would definately save their childrens lives in a head on smash.??

"Well look on the positive side. If their children die they won't grow up to make the same mistakes as their parents..."

Shame on you and the way you think. What if your children die and don't live up to talk bullshit like u !!!

It also saddens me to see a lot of children jumping around between the seats and not belted in, one slam on the break and the child will end up through the windscrean and most probably DEAD!!!

If a parent loves their child as much as they say and think they do then why the hell do they not look after them in a car?

They are just plain and simple STUPID PEOPLE...

well i tell my kids that i won't move my car unless all seated with their seatbelts buckled, and always work.

the law is there but really need to have some way to convince policemen that they can be firm and harsh with reckless qatari drivers, i just don't know how!!!!!

Yalla!

its not legal to position child under 10y/o in front, below ten must be at the back side, it must also be a law for child below 5 y/o to be sitted in a child seat for their safety.

I think they look at it like if the children die, then it was Allah's will, and nothing we say or do is going to change how they feel about that.

Motherhood...The hardest job you'll ever love! : )

i guess it also helps if the parent driving in the front manages to keep the kid/s at the back engaged in some way.kids tend to get restless when they have nothing to do.maybe he/she could strike up some funny/interesting conversation with the child (it could be some little story or ask about what his/her friends are upto in school and what he/she played today,etc.)....or else,in extreme cases,it would help to attach those little TV screens to the back of the front seats and play some of their favorite cartoons to keep them quiet.

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

I have a lot of acquaintances who say the same thing when we talk about anything that requires the parent having a firm hand/making a decision.

"But they cry and don't like it," they'll say.

So what?

You're the parent.

Parenting isn't a popularity contest.

It doesn't matter if your child kicks and screams and bangs their head against a wall and tries to bite you when you're strapping them into a safety belt in a car or on a plane.

You do it anyway because it will save their life.

"Marriage is a wonderful institution...but who wants to live in an institution?" -- Groucho Marx

My child have a special chair in back seat!

Nothing more safe than that!

People have to change there minds and weak up for this king of danger.

And one of my friends says "Noooo way, he is verrry verry naughty!!! He simply refuses to wear the seatbelt. What to do, we are helpless!!"

what a lame excuse your friends has shreeya tsk! even if my son cries so loud, it's a must that he is strapped in his car seat whenever we travel even for a short distance.

laws here mostly are for the papers only idealman.

even if laws are made,unless people change their attitudes,nothing will work.they will always find loopholes in every law.

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

And one of my friends says "Noooo way, he is verrry verry naughty!!! He simply refuses to wear the seatbelt. What to do, we are helpless!!"

Everything's gonna be alright!!!

Well look on the positive side. If their children die they won't grow up to make the same mistakes as their parents...

The law is already in place, but they don't give a damn.

"Leave Me or Love Me"

(MagicDragon)