Buckle Up Oman

 People who says "Allah willed it" to make someone/themselves feel better after a horrible car accident in Oman that happened because a. reckless driving, b. speeding, c. no car seats for children or seatbelts for adults are missing the whole point of free will. Yeah, sure, we have free will to be stupid and careless, but doesn't the Qu'ran also say, "whatever evil is from yourselves and whatever good is from Allah"???? So the accidents are always the fault of carelessness. I personally don't know how anyone can be okay with kids without carseats. My Omani in-laws do it with their kids. Bouncing babies on laps while driving. Talking on cellphones and texting while driving. Usually not speeding but Omani friends, yes. As a Muslim, I just don't get it. A Muslim is a person from whose hand (and body and means of transportation) other Muslims are safe. Obviously, Omanis are not safe from other Omani drivers out there, and innocent children, even from the behaviour of their own parents. Expats already know this, the high mortality statistics on Oman's roads, and they are usually wearing seatbelts and buy carseats for their kids, so I don't really address this post to them.

 Carseats should be mandatory for small children, and seatbelts in the backseat enforced. I don't care if you can't afford a fancy landcruiser in order to have enough seats...(as ROP officials say is the reason for hesitation behind making a new law to address the mortality rates)... and the sedan won't fit the seats for the necessary ammount of people... buy a mini van. If that's harsh imagine how much harsher you would be with yourself if you crashed and your baby went through the windsheild and you were the mother who didn't make sure your kid had a seatbelt, trying to hold your baby, but their body is all over the freeway and all you can do is pick up the pieces of an infant and your own sanity. Saw that one before.  Morbid imagery, but really, if you saw the mother that I saw, you would never be able to get the image out of YOUR head either, and if you are too stupid to buckle your kid up, your shouldn't be allowed to either.

Y magazine has been covering the issue pretty well, but if you want to make sure kids stay safe follw these links supplied by the Duncan Adventures:

Please take the time to sign the petition online here: http://www.facebook.com/ytabloid?sk=app_454522871303124&app_data

To learn more about how choose, install and use a car seat for your children then run a simple Google search - it is that easy! Or check out this interesting blog: www.thecarseatlady.blogspot.com Trust me, you don't want to be one of those mothers who has to bury her children. My own mother has never been the same since a drunk driver took the life of my brother when he was just a baby. Divorced, alienates herself from other people, even us, her other kids. And that wasn't even her fault. Not strapping your kids into carseats and seatbelts? That IS your fault when something happens. Be proactive. Do something about it.