Mom Worried That Kids Are Not Safe With Dad

Dear Expert Mom,

I am an extremely safety conscious mom. I did a lot of research and spent a lot of money buying a minivan with a good crash test rating and side impact airbags. I researched and purchased the best car seats that I could afford. I do everything that I can to make sure that my kids are safe when we are on the road.

My husband and I have been arguing lately because whenever he runs errands with the kids, he insists on driving them in his wreck of a car that constantly has mechanical problems. His car is much smaller and does not have side airbags. Also, he only has cheap booster seats for them in his car since we cannot afford to purchase top of the line seats for both of our cars and I do 95% of the driving with them in the minivan.

I say that since we have one car that is clearly safer than the other, he should drive the kids in that. His reply is always that he is just "going around the corner" and that they will be fine.

How can I convince him to drive the kids in the minivan?

-Safety Conscious Mom in Palm Springs

Dear Safety Conscious,

I am with you. It doesn't make sense not to use the safest vehicle available to you when driving with your kids. Inform your husband that, statistically speaking, most accidents occur close to home. If that doesn't work, then ask him what will happen if someone has traveled from far away to your area - they would not be driving "just around the corner", so would they be allowed to get into an accident with your husband and kids?! His reasoning is not strong enough to put your children's safety at risk.

Bottom Line: When it comes to our kids, it's safety first - period. Good luck!

~Expert Mom