They’re a common sight on Australian roads, but few know the significance of a ‘Baby on Board’ sign when they place it inside their car window.
Taking to Facebook recently, a mother shared a snap of a typical ‘Baby on Board’ sign after hearing people label them as ‘annoying’.
‘In case you don’t know the true purpose of these signs… no you’re not supposed to “drive slower” around these people, no you’re not supposed to worship them or tread lightly around them because they have a baby,’ she wrote alongside the photo.
They’re a common sight on Australian roads, but few know the significance of a ‘Baby on Board’ sign when they place it inside their car window.
‘Baby on Board signs alert first responders that there is a person in the vehicle that is incapable of unbuckling themselves in the event of an accident. Do the EMTs need to look for a body that was possibly expelled from the vehicle?’
The woman concluded by saying she simply wanted to spread the word as ‘not many people know this’.
‘I didn’t [know about it] until I got pregnant and heard it from a first responder myself,’ she said.
Taking to Facebook recently, a mother shared a snap of a typical ‘Baby on Board’ sign after hearing people label them as ‘annoying’
While those in the emergency services have confirmed that these signs do help alert first responders to the presence of a child in a car accident, the signs were also designed to alert other drivers to the ‘precious cargo’ inside.
In fact, it was an impatient driver that inspired the creation of these signs in the first place.
According to the NRMA Australia, ‘the idea was born from the personal experience and desire of one man, Michael Lerner, a former real estate investor from Massachusetts, USA with the vision to keep children safe during car trips’.
While those in the emergency services have confirmed that these signs do help alert first responders to the presence of a child in a car accident, the signs were also designed to alert other drivers to the ‘precious cargo’ inside
In 1984 Mr Lerner was driving his 18-month-old nephew home and experienced ‘busy traffic’ and motorists ‘tailgating and cutting him off throughout the trip’.
‘For the first time, I felt like a parent feels when they have a kid in the car,’ he said.
The first sign was produced in 1984 within the first month, 10,000 were sold.
Eight months on, 500,000 signs were selling each month.