Restraining Seats, Belts Crucial to Children’s Safety in Car

I was deeply saddened when I read about the tragic deaths of Spencer and Taylor Paul (“Family that Lost 2 of 5 Sons Consoled,” Jan. 20). As a mother of two sons myself, I empathize with the pain and sorrow the Pauls must be experiencing; theirs is a loss that no parent should ever have to endure.

I am sure they are very loving and devoted parents, according to the remarks of many friends and relatives. However, I think it is unconscionable that such parents fail to see the importance of always having their children restrained in seat belts and car seats.

I live in an area that is affluent and populated with well-educated and well-meaning people and yet, on a daily basis, I see my neighbor’s children loose in their parents’ cars--standing, climbing over seats, jumping up and down. I have even seen parents holding their infants in their arms in the front seat. What are these parents thinking? Children die needlessly every day in this manner.

We, as parents, have the legal responsibility to keep our children safe in our cars. I hope that by reading the article on the Pauls’ tragedy, at least one set of parents wakes up and realizes that using restraining devices is not only a legal obligation, but a matter of life and death as well!

TERRI DANKS, Newport Beach