We’ve all seen the cars that have the baby on board signs on them, but have you ever wondered what they’re for and how they work? A baby on board sign is designed to tell other road users that you have a baby in the car. It’s not to make other people think twice about the way that they drive, but it’s mostly used to alert the emergency services that there is a child aboard the car in case of an accident.
If there’s been a collision or an accident and a car seat is in the car but it’s empty, the baby on board sign can let people know that there is a chance a baby has been thrown from the car. Let’s learn a little bit more about the importance of the baby on board sign.
Do you need one?
If you’re a parent, you may have wondered whether or not you need a baby on board sign for your car. The short answer is no, you don’t necessarily need one. Instead, you can choose to have vinyl stickers on the back of your car that indicate you have children on board. However, you have to remember that. This may not be as visible as the bright yellow baby on board sign that you could find in the shops. It’s a smart idea to have something to indicate that there is a child on board in case you do get into a collision.But whether you need one or not is really going to be a judgment call for you.
Where did they come from?
Baby on board signs have existed for quite some time now, but the 12 centimeter yellow square with the baby on board sign in bold black text goes all the way back to the 1980s.
Sometimes people see the baby on board signs and they drive better, or they are more careful about the way that they drive, such as preventing themselves from tailgating or cutting people off. It’s not easy to drive on the road when you have children in the car as it is, but if you can alert other road users to the fact that there are little ones, it can be easier to drive.
Types of baby on board signs
Along with the standard yellow square, you might find other varieties of signs out there. We already mentioned vinyl stickers that you could get to stick on the car, but you can also get Princess on Board, Prince on Board, Toddler on Board, and Little Lady on Board. You’ll also find that they vary in colour and sometimes their stickers and sometimes they’re magnetic. Sometimes these signs are stuck with little suction cups.
Where should they go?
A baby on board sign is designed to be put in the back window of the car. It warns anybody driving behind you. Make sure that if you do have a sticker or if it features suction cups then it has to be on the back window so people can read it correctly.