No more 'Baby on Board' tags

[snopes]

Comment: A friend of mine got pulled over in New Bern NC and was fined
$250 for having a Baby on Board tag in his window. The officer told my
friend that it was a new law banning the tags because they looked too much
like a hazmat (hazardous materials) decal. Is there really such a law?!?!

[AnglRdr]

http://ian-albert.com/misc/hazmat.php

or

http://www.babyproofingplus.com/usri...ard%20sign.gif

Hmmmm....

[WildaBeast]

I don't about the hazmat thing, but CA has rules about where decals may be placed on the rear window as to not block your view.

[Fiver]

Since when is "looking too much" like something grounds to make it illegal to have?

[Silas Sparkhammer]

Originally Posted by Fiver

Since when is "looking too much" like something grounds to make it illegal to have?

Um...ever have a toy gun pointed at you? California has a VERY strict "toy gun" law. (Too strict, in my opinion, but...)

But I know what you mean, actually; I think that banning those silly signs is unnecessary.

Silas

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Fiver

Since when is "looking too much" like something grounds to make it illegal to have?

Depends on what the "something" is (see Silas' example). I don't believe the OP, and I don't think Baby on Board stickers look anything like hazmat placards. But I could see a possible justification for banning something that did, in fact, closely resemble hazmat placards: in the event of an accident, it could cause the equivalent of a false alarm.

[diddy]

It just sonds like with all the parodies out there, they just arent as popular. Combine that with a restriction of any signs that could obscure the drivers view, and this UL could make sense. My guess is that they arent banned outright, since its been registered as a trademark.

[Brad from Georgia]

"Baby on board,"
Up in my Ford,
'Til the cops made a stop and I found
They didn't like the sign,
They made me play a fine,
How I miss it when I drive around....

...with apologies to Homer and the Be Sharps.

[BluesScale]

I am never wholly sure what the the point of the "Baby on board" signs are. Do the users think that I was going to ram them but the BOB sign made me relent? If so, wouldn't "nitroglycerine on board" signs work better?

Blues

[Elphie Fabala Fae]

Originally Posted by BluesScale

I am never wholly sure what the the point of the "Baby on board" signs are. Do the users think that I was going to ram them but the BOB sign made me relent? If so, wouldn't "nitroglycerine on board" signs work better?

Blues

Agreed. I guess it's just a "please be extra careful" kind of thing, but as accidents are accidents for a reason, I doubt they do a whole lot of good.

http://hazmat.dot.gov/common/question.htm#Placards

Placards
Q. Are slogans or signs, such as “Drive Safely,” which are often displayed on placards and in placard holders, prohibited on a transport vehicle and freight container?

A. Yes. Any slogan, sign, or other device that by its color, design, shape or content, could be confused with any placard is prohibited. The restrictions under § 172.502(a)(2) do not apply until October 1, 2001 to a safety sign or slogan which waspermanently marked on a transport vehicle, bulk packaging, or freight container on or before August 21, 1997.

Question becomes if this is considered an issue on a non transportation vehicle.

[emperor_genghis_khan]

Here in Puerto Rico, they are allowed but must be placed in the rear window at the passengers side bottom corner and be no more then 6" x 6". The fine is $50

[Stoneage Dinosaur]

Originally Posted by BluesScale

I am never wholly sure what the the point of the "Baby on board" signs are. Do the users think that I was going to ram them but the BOB sign made me relent? If so, wouldn't "nitroglycerine on board" signs work better?

Blues

Originally Posted by Elphie Fabala Fae

Agreed. I guess it's just a "please be extra careful" kind of thing, but as accidents are accidents for a reason, I doubt they do a whole lot of good.

I always thought that the original idea of the "baby on board" signs were to alert the emergency services in the event of an accident where the parent(s) in the front were knocked unconscious. Of course, the fact that everyone just left the signs displayed permanently quickly rendered them pointless.

[BluesScale]

That makes more sense - a child could survive in a void that an adult wouldn't fit in. Thanks for the idea

Blues.

If I were going to use a sign to alert rescue crews to the presence of a child onboard a vehicle, I would want the sign to be held on with something stronger than a suction cup.

Especially on glass which is usually the first thing that goes in a crash. I don't think it was meant for anything more than just another trinket to add to the growing number of crap to place inside a vehicle.

[BrianB]

Originally Posted by Stoneage Dinosaur

I always thought that the original idea of the "baby on board" signs were to alert the emergency services in the event of an accident where the parent(s) in the front were knocked unconscious. Of course, the fact that everyone just left the signs displayed permanently quickly rendered them pointless.

Here's the snopes page on the sign's origin:

In 1984, Michael Lerner founded Safety 1st for the purpose of manufacturing "Baby on Board" signs. The inspiration for the signs came not from a deadly accident that took the life of a youngster but from a friend who saw similar stickers in Europe.

Brian

[Stoneage Dinosaur]

Originally Posted by BrianB

Here's the snopes page on the sign's origin

Ah - how did I miss that one? Thanks for the link, BrianB.

[jw]

Around these parts, young male drivers are known to put The "Baby on Board" sign on their windows to avoid hassle from police.

My 18 year old hasn't got one, but two of his mates have. According to their anecdotal evidence, it actually works.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Jayhawkk

http://hazmat.dot.gov/common/question.htm#Placards



Question becomes if this is considered an issue on a non transportation vehicle.

Since personal vehicles do not carry placard holders, and do not (at least legally) transport freight that would require placards, I don't see why it would.