[fine69]

So me and my wife are driving and we see a BMW 5'er with a 7-8 yr old girl half out of the sunroof. There's a little traffic jam so I stop alongside and signal the woman driver that the kid out of the sunroof isn't safe.

Since my wife was with me I decided to initiate a conversation else a guy signalling a woman isn't a premise I want to land up in the first place, that too in Delhi.

The woman rolls down her window and this time I shout out that the kid hanging out of the sunroof isn't safe. She responds by saying that she's driving way too slow for anything to happen. I, without much thinking, respond back that a year or two ago a kid died due to a kite string stuck around her neck while her parents were driving as the kid was out of the sunroof.

She gives me a look filled with disgust, rolls up her window and stares at the traffic ahead. I shout out sorry and stare ahead as well.

My wife then tells me to mind my own business because people as such don't like being advised and especially not on how to keep their kids safe.

Is sunroof to be blamed? Not really. Uneducated or educated but unaware parents are to be blamed. These are usually the same parents who hand out their car/bike keys to underage kids.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by fine69

...because people as such don't like being advised...

Yeah, that's very true, and from personal experience, trying to reason with someone in the middle of traffic or at the next traffic signal never works either. No matter how logical or calmly either of you is trying to explain things, it'll not be taken well by the other party. More often than not, it'll just become a shouting match, or can easily become something worse. Better just to move on.

[_nitink_]

Originally Posted by fine69

Since my wife was with me I decided to initiate a conversation else a guy signalling a woman isn't a premise I want to land up in the first place, that too in Delhi.

I agree with you completely. A place like Delhi is not very safe, even if we are with our family. Most of the the time, you will find people who get agitated even because of very small things. I always try to stay away from any kind of public interaction out on the road. People are always ready to fight and even a simple smile can land you in great trouble. I think the statement 'Bhalai ka zaman hi nahi rha' is very much true in the present scenario.

[RedHerring]

Originally Posted by esoticoreventon

Attachment 1788605

She looks to be standing on the armrest of the car. Must be one solid armrest to be able to take a person's full weight. What car is it ?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Kids popping their head out of a small sunroof? That's so passe!

Here's the new trend in Bangalore -

Not the first time seeing this, but this particular one got my goat. Four kids were sitting / lying down on the lid of the loading bay area, not even inside it. Vehicle was driven at speeds of around 70 - 80 kmph on the elevated highway afterwards this pic.

PS: Posting here for the lack of a better thread.

[pramodkumar]

I understand its unsafe, I understand anything can happen, including Bird poop landing one ones head

My question is why are we so touchy about this subject? Does anybody talk about the number of bikers dying due to Manja slitting their throats?

If we go by the logic then a sunroof is only useful for people who smoke, I do not see any other use for it. If you need fresh air, you can put the AC on recirculation mode, if you need more fresh air, open all the windows, still not satisfied? Then get out of the car.

My 21 month old baby loves to stick her head out of the sunroof, My friend just loves to open the flap the moment he gets into the car. My sister in law, loves to stick her head out of the sunroof. I have not stuck my head out yet but, being a biker I too love the wind on my face feeling, so chances of me loving this is extremely high.

The only danger is from Manja or random low flying birds hitting your head, or swallowing a bug if your mouth is open. Please list others, I am sure it will be fun.

Now, its important that people should mind their own business and stop preaching others on child safety. How many of us wear seat belts? how many of us have child seats and babies/toddlers and not sit on their parents laps?

Just because we are TBHP members doesn't give us a right to start knocking random peoples car windows asking them to close their sunroofs.

Please mind your own business, This is not US where people take kindly to complete strangers giving them advices on child safety and child care. The next thing you want is a road rage incident because of this.

What next, make people wear seat belts? Climb on peoples bonnets if their car is on the zebra crossing? Stop the people carrying their kids on their laps?

This is exactly why we have cops, if they are understaffed then complain.

Stop harassing random people on the streets, just because you feel morally obligated to. Your morality has no values in the eyes of strangers.

No offences to anyone I hope people take "my advise" kindly, Please be gentle in your replies


Pramod

[bblost]

I completely understand your point.

Physics and those stupid laws of motion just don't give a damn about it, though.

I am the parent who belts his kids in the car.
Rides even his bicycle with a helmet on.
Also the concerned citizen who uses the Traffic Police portal to post pictures and raise a challan against rule breakers.

You are not only endangering the life of your young baby but also setting a very bad example by showing your negligent attitude as acceptable because its fun.

[deadguy25]

It is not only about the safety of people sticking their heads-out of the roof.
It diverts the attention of drivers around that vehicle .
When other drivers are distracted, chances are:
1. Others could rear-end each other
2. Drive\ride onto an on-looker or pedestrian.
3. etc.

I find it dangerous for the people inside the car and outside.

But then, each to his own, as long as nobody suffers injuries or near-misses.

[drive2eternity]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

My question is why are we so touchy about this subject?

Now, its important that people should mind their own business and stop preaching others on child safety.

Though I completely agree with you about minding one's own business instead of dictating what is right or wrong to others, the problem I see with children sticking out of sunroofs is peer pressure.

My kids (or anyone else's) do not have the level of understanding that (most) adults have. So, for them, if X can do it in their new car, why can't we do it. Why is daddy creating so much fuss? They don't know about Safety, etc.
It is a milestone alone to get children into child seat and later to wear seat belts.

I see such incidents which are highlighted in the thread, as bad examples which not only impact safety and well being but also make parenting difficult.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by bblost

I completely understand your point.

Physics and those stupid laws of motion just don't give a damn about it, though.

I am the parent who belts his kids in the car.
Rides even his bicycle with a helmet on.
Also the concerned citizen who uses the Traffic Police portal to post pictures and raise a challan against rule breakers.

You are not only endangering the life of your young baby but also setting a very bad example by showing your negligent attitude as acceptable because its fun.

My kid has a child seat from the time she was an Infant. I live in Kerala, where there are empty roads where the kid can still have fun by sticking her head out of the sunroof. Doing the same on a busy street/highway is simply stupid. Having said that.

My point is simple, people should mind your own business. Concerned citizens are not an excuse for invading people's privacy, clicking people's pic is not acceptable. Posting it on public portal is again not acceptable if it has faces on it, if the portal ensures that it doesn't post them in public you can send images which has face blurred, but again clicking someone's pic without their permission is illegal.

Now going back to the Mind your own business part, you will see senseless people, unless and until it endangers your life you have no right to complain, even if it endangers your life, you have no right to confront. If you do then please, be prepared for some knuckle sandwiches, which by the way are completely avoidable.

Let me reiterate my point, everything, including sunroofs have their own dangers. Its important as a responsible parent to take care of such situations and own and be accountable to your Childs safety. But being concerned about other peoples safety is kind heartedness, not to be confused with the right to be intrusive of their privacy. Its simply wrong to assume you are being more responsible by unsolicited schooling of others.

Pramod

[roby_dk]

Sticking your head out of Sunroof was belittled when I witnessed something like this on my trip to hill station.

It might be somewhere around 2012-13 while I was returning from Mussoorie(Utarakhand) to Delhi with my friends listening to slow music and feeling the cold breeze with all windows rolled down in my Safari. I saw something really strange in my rear view mirror a white Swift with 3 young lads of our age sitting out of windows exactly shown in below pictures. My heart was in my mouth when I further checked that they were holding beer cans in one hand in a moving car. Can't help everyone on road or make them understand the risk involved in such activities.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Posting it on public portal is again not acceptable if it has faces on it, if the portal ensures that it doesn't post them in public you can send images which has face blurred, but again clicking someone's pic without their permission is illegal.

er, NO.

Its not illegal to take any picture on a public road with or without permission. Unless the picture is taken with an intent to outrage the modesty of someone.

I post pictures on the Official Facebook account of the Cyberabad Traffic Police and they later confirm the challan being raised.
If it was illegal to upload a picture, I am sure someone from the Police department would have raised an objection instead of saying "Thanks."

Do you think an empty road is safer than a road with heavy traffic?
If anything the speed on an empty road can cause a significantly worse injury than a fender bender in traffic.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by bblost

er, NO.

Its not illegal to take any picture on a public road with or without permission. Unless the picture is taken with an intent to outrage the modesty of someone.

Question: How will you prove it is otherwise?

Lets say someone raises an objection of you clicking them, they have all the legal validity to approach a court of law and demand a compensation for the mental agony and tension

Originally Posted by bblost

I post pictures on the Official Facebook account of the Cyberabad Traffic Police and they later confirm the challan being raised.
If it was illegal to upload a picture, I am sure someone from the Police department would have raised an objection instead of saying "Thanks.".

That means absolutely nothing. If you get into trouble do you think this "thanks" from Police will hold any water in the court of law?

Originally Posted by bblost

Do you think an empty road is safer than a road with heavy traffic?
If anything the speed on an empty road can cause a significantly worse injury than a fender bender in traffic.

I will be a judge of that, especially speed .

Now that I have made my point. I wish to take this discussion no further.

Pramod

[sumathindra]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Here's the new trend in Bangalore -

Not the first time seeing this, but this particular one got my goat. Four kids were sitting / lying down on the lid of the loading bay area, not even inside it. Vehicle was driven at speeds of around 70 - 80 kmph on the elevated highway afterwards this pic.

This is absolutely stupid, dangerous and irresponsible. Such jokers should be caught, fined and punished by canceling their DL. So irresponsible on behalf of the parent

[bblost]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Question: How will you prove it is otherwise?

Lets say someone raises an objection of you clicking them, they have all the legal validity to approach a court of law and demand a compensation for the mental agony and tension

This is

That means absolutely nothing. If you get into trouble do you think this "thanks" from Police will hold any water in the court of law?

This is another

I will be a judge of that, especially speed .

Now that I have made my point. I wish to take this discussion no further.

Pramod

You can be a judge of speed, but the rules of physics which will determine the speed at which a child becomes a missile and flies out of the car, won't care.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2-_fSRT18o

At 2:00 mins mark you can see what happens in a 30 mph crash. 30 mph is 48 kmph. I am assuming you are going to be travelling faster than that with your "passenger" enjoying the breeze, with the head outside the sunroof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJvoDffYrR8

Is it worth it?