Child Safety Seat Law

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I taught my first traffic school class of the year on Saturday, January 7th. I was doing a skit where I play a 5 year old being picked up by his parent at school. During the skit I have my parent, being played by a student in my class,  place me in a Child Safety Passenger Restraint System (Child Seat). I eventually get to talking about the law itself. When I did, I found out that a few of my students knew more about the law than I did. I was unaware that the law had changed effective January 1st of 2012.

Upon finding out that the law had changed I found the new law at the DMV website, read it, read it again, and again, and again. I finally came to the conclusion that if a child is neither 8 years old or 4’ 9” in height they needed to be in a Child Passenger Restraint System. My youngest daughter, Lily, was in an approved system, but I was using a  Child Seat that was too small for her and transporting her in the front seat which is now illegal according to the new regulations (CVC 27360 and 27363). That meant I needed to do a little more research, buy, and install a new Child Seat for my precious daughter.

I first went to one of those shops that sell used kids clothing and merchandise. The shop owner or worker let me know that they had no big Child Seats and mentioned that that was probably because of the law change. Apparently I was one of the few people in California that was just recently informed of the change in law concerning the safety of my child.

Next I went to Baby’s R US and found several different affordable Child Seats that might work for Lily. After some additional research I determined that I needed more information about Lily. I was clueless as to her exact or even approximate height or weight, which is information needed when selecting a Child Seat. I couldn’t find my measuring tape so I went and bought a new one for $4 at Wal-Mart.

So this past weekend I measured her height (39 inches) and weighed her (37lbs). With that information and my own instincts and observations I purchased a Child Seat that met all the new California regulations and all the recommendations of the Child Seat manufacturer of the seat that I chose.

Lily enjoyed the attention that her daddy gave her. I enjoyed giving her the attention and I now feel good about her safety while she is a passenger in my automobile.

A Little Squishy?

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Is your ride feeling a little squishy? Could be that you need more air in your tires. For every 10 degrees of temperature change, the air pressure in your tires change by one pound. It’s a 10 to 1 ratio. So, for instance, let’s say you normally like your tires at 30 lbs of air pressure and you last checked them and filled them up a few months ago.  Temperatures have changed a bit since then. Your tires could be about 3 lbs less than you normally like them to be. The best time to check air pressure in your tires is in the morning before you have driven your car. The tires are then at their coolest. If you feel an adjustment is in order, assuming they are not flat, drive to your nearest gas station which should have air available for your usage.

Not sure what the air pressure should be in your tires? Auto manufactures supply this information to you in your glove box, on the inside of the flap that covers your gas tank, or in the door jam of the driver’s door.  Maximum PSI (pounds per square inch) can be found on the sidewall of the tire themselves, but that’s maximum. Auto manufacturers most always recommend a PSI below the maximum.

Hopefully you already know what you like you air pressure to be in your tires. If not, play around with it a little using the information provided above.

“May I Be Safe.”

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“May I be safe.” This was the beginning of a loving kindness meditation that I did for years. By repeating it every day, it etched it’s way into my mind and has been a mantra that has guided my actions and decisions regarding my life. It is my belief that the desire for safety is one of the most common threads that connect all human beings.

Often when I am driving on the freeway, many people are passing me. Some pass on the left and some pass on my right. I am most often driving at or slightly below the speed limit. When I see this I wonder, “Where are all these people going and why do they feel the need to drive so fast to get there?”

I have covered the topic of willful speeding in almost every traffic school class I have taught for the last 10 years. When students are posed with the question of why they willfully speed the most common response is they are late. After further questioning by me it becomes apparent that the vast majority of students have not EVER considered the intentions that drive their actions. Because their intentions have not been clearly identified, they make choices in their lives that are questionable. Choices like, staying up late and not considering the effect that it will have the next morning when they attempt to wake up, drinking alcohol in excess and what effect that may have on their ability to accomplish tasks in a timely manner, putting too much on their plate and the effect that may have on their actions, etc., etc.

What is the primary intention of your life? If you have never considered this, imagine the buffet dinner that will follow your funeral. What will people be saying about you? If you like what you think they will be saying about you, you have found your primary intention. If you do not like what you think they will be saying about you, what would you rather have the people at your buffet dinner saying about you?

Once you have discovered your primary intention you may establish some sub-intentions that will assist you in the primary intention of your life. These intentions are similar to goals, yet they are not met and crossed off of a list, but instead become a life long quest.

With clear intention some of your actions may change. Your actions will have more meaning because they are leading you to your life’s purpose.  What then follows is the recognition that the safety of yourself and others will be of some assistance in the attainment of the primary intention of your life. A slowing down in your life, and on the roadway, and enjoying the moments that you have, versus the continuous striving for an agenda that you think you have to meet, will most likely occur.

Your Mental State

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Your mental state affects how you drive. Your mental state affects everything you do. Just about 50% of people who get traffic tickets or are involved in collisions tell me that some type of mental frustration was going on with them when the incident occurred. Common frustrations I hear are: I was late, my kids where…., my husband was…, my boss said… If you think about the last time you got a traffic ticket you might remember that something was going on with you.

You can tell that your mental state is not in balance by noticing how your body feels and the thoughts that may be repeating in your mind. If your breathing becomes strained or your stomach feels tight or upset, this is your body telling you that something is not right. If you keep repeating the same negative thought in your head, this is the brain part of your body communicating to you that something is awry.

Becoming aware of these sensations is the very first step in taking corrective action. Your corrective action depends on where you are and who you are. Some deep breathing, a walk, some stretching, some fresh air, some soothing music, some singing, any or all these actions may help you with your state of mind.

Getting you back to a neutral state will keep you safe on the roadway and more in sync with the good person that you know you are.