Why do many parents oppose Vietnam’s new child car seat requirement?

Some parents still believe that "holding the child is enough, just a short trip, and I’ll hold them tight when danger strikes." These beliefs are rooted in old habits and a false sense of invincibility. These parents fail to understand that the force of impact in an accident is much stronger than human strength, and a sudden brake can easily send the child flying forward. Rather than accepting the facts and the science behind car safety, they avoid the hassle of installing, carrying, or storing the seat, or simply prefer to avoid what they see as an inconvenience.

A baby in car seat. Photo from Instagram

This is not just ignorance; it is a backward mindset that focuses solely on immediate discomfort, ignoring the long-term safety of children. It mirrors the early opposition to helmet laws when people complained about heat, discomfort, and inconvenience. Only after tragic accidents or cases where survivors owed their lives to helmets did public opinion begin to shift.

A quick research can show parents the benefits of using car seats, a practice mandatory in many developed countries for years. Unfortunately, a portion of the Vietnamese population remains stuck in the past, unable to see the long-term benefits or the fragile nature of their children's lives. Instead, they focus on the inconvenience of installing a seat for a few minutes or spending a small amount on a basic safety device. Ironically, many will spend tens of millions of dong (VND1 million = US$37.95) on car modifications, leather seats, or screen installations but balk at spending a small amount to protect their child’s life.

Opposing child safety seats is not just a mistake; it reflects backward thinking. A civilized society is not measured by the number of cars on the road, but by how it protects its most vulnerable passengers. If this attitude does not change, the inconvenience that many now resist will ultimately cost them dearly in regret when an accident happens. Safety is never an inconvenience; the real inconvenience is negligence.

*Readers' opinions are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress' viewpoints.