BABY ON BOARD

Where did these signs originate?

When I worked at my first police job, in 1985, I heard a story of a fatal car accident in which the driver was killed and, it was not known at the time, her infant child was ejected from the vehicle.

The unverified story included the horrifying news that the child died. Not from injuries sustained in the crash but from exposure as it was not found for 24 hours. First responders had dealt with the accident and cleared the scene. About a day later the baby was found in bushes near the accident location.

When this story was circulating through my department a friend of mine told me that many recreational boaters put a temporary placard on their craft when they take babies out on the water. He explained the sign is a yellow diamond or triangle shaped placard that reads BABY ON BOARD. It is secured to a conspicuous area on the boat and removed when the boat is taken out without infants. My co-worker explained that in the event of an accident the placard alerts emergency responders to search the area thoroughly for the baby.

Soon after our talk I started to notice cars with the same BABY ON BOARD placards. I thought it was a good idea that might eliminate deaths like the one I mentioned above. The key, for me, was the fact that the placard would be displayed only when a child was being transported. My wife and I had just started our family and I was feeling very paternal.

A short time later, I’m not sure how long, I saw the idea was morphing. The placards were becoming permanent stickers.

I was stuck in my single track mode thinking that the placards purpose was to alert first responders.

I surmised that if the temporary placards became permanent stickers they would lose their effectiveness. Why would a first responder do an exhaustive search of an area for a child based on a “Permanent decal” that tells them that sometimes children are transported in that vehicle?

I am well aware that I don’t know everything; so I looked online for more information on the BABY ON BOARD question.

I found an article penned by Annalisa Marelli on October 6th, 2014. In that piece Ms Marelli mentions the original theory that the BABY ON BOARD placards were started to warn first responders, in the event of a catastrophic incident, that a child is in the wreckage, or nearby.

Marelli also mentioned a theory that the placards were meant to warn fellow motorists that a baby was in the car with a hope that motorists who saw the warning would drive cautiously near that vehicle. She mentions an interview with Paul Maxwell, a paramedic with 30 years of experience who also runs a child injury prevention organization. Mr. Maxwell is quoted as saying, “I surveyed my crew and everyone thinks it’s (The placard) to warn people to be extra cautious driving so as not to crash into them.” He, as a paramedic, was not aware that the placards were directing first responders to search for babies.

In an effort to clarify let me just say this. I hope the baby on board placards and decals encourage motorists to drive better. I fear, however, that if a majority of the vehicles have decals warning that babies might be in the vehicle, the decals will become like “White noise” and do no good at all.

Thanks for reading. Please comment to let me know your feelings.