Thursday 23 September 2010

Careful, Now...




Travelling into the centre of Edinburgh the other day there was a car in front of the bus I was on that had a couple of notices on the rear window. One said 'Baby on Board' while the other notice of a similar size said 'Child on Board' As we crawled along the Gilmerton Road with all the speed of a slug, I wondered why the driver of said vehicle thought it necessary to display these signs.

Was it to boast of their virility? Probably not. It was more likely to be a plea to drivers behind to slow down as there were two children on board, one of whom was a baby. Yes, I am stating the bleeding obvious here. There may well have been a motorist travelling at ninety miles per hour who was prepared to slam into the back of this car but thought better of it when he/she realised there were small children in the back. I'm sure that made all the difference...

Some parents aren't just content to tell you there's a 'child on board'. No, in their vehicle it's 'princess on board'. Now Edinburgh does have Holyrood Palace but, nonetheless, I never cease to be amazed at how many members of the royal family drive through the streets of Scotland's capital city.

Perhaps it's a sign of the world we live in. Or of me getting old. Or both. When you leave Dalkeith and head for Edinburgh there is a huge roadside sign that declares 'Thank you for driving carefully'. Is the inference here 'thanks, now you can drive like a madman' (but beware the little princess in the car in front...)

Fancying a slice of toast last night I opened a new jar of Sainsbury's Best Value Peanut Butter. I was grateful for the sticker on the jar which listed 'allergy advice' It declared 'contains nuts'.

Now I've had a busy week and my mood wasn't helped by Hearts defeat in the Mickey Mouse Cup the other evening. But it isn't just me - is it....?

5 comments:

Joanna Jenkins said...

I see those baby on board signs all over Los Angeles-- I'll never look at them the same way again. But now that I think of it, maybe I should get one, just in case it will save me from someone slamming in the back of my car ;-)

Cheers, jj

A Daft Scots Lass said...

I've never understood those cutsie Baby on Board buttons. I think they're a waste of time.

Do you really think its gonna stop the drunk dude from ploughing into the back of yer car? He doesn't care whether you've got a Future Bad Boy on Board or not.

Anonymous said...

wasn't the original concept to alert emergency services that there may be an unseen child within a car wreck? and that these signs should NOT be displayed if there are no children in the car.

Those 'princess on board' style signs (also 'mum's taxi') are totally naff.

Mind you my car currently displays 'Supporter of Club still in the League Cup on board'

Adullamite said...

It's not just you....

Mike Smith said...

Good point, Ken. Although you'll probably need to extend your car sign to read 'until the end of October'

Back to School 2022

  A wee bit late with this but the little people have returned to school for another term. Except some of them aren't little any more. A...