Every parent is well aware of the dangers kids face when they ride in the car every day. Because of this, we're quick to judge parents who don't follow the rules, and we strive to make the best decisions about proper car safety when it comes to our babies and toddlers. A recent viral video shows a man driving his car with a baby clutching onto the steering wheel — and surprisingly, people are actually defending his actions.
The disturbing video was posted on the popular "Baller Alert" Instagram account
The origin of the video is unknown, and neither the man nor the baby has been identified, but the video is still making waves online. Not only is the baby not strapped into a car seat or using a seat belt, but his or her entire body is wrapped around the steering wheel.
The man takes a phone call, and at one point he even makes a turn, moving the kid completely upside down.
The entire video shows the exact opposite of what a parent should be doing to keep his kid safe and secure while in the car.
In didn't take long for the video to go viral. In less than 24 hours, it's gotten over 640,000 views.
Tons of parents out there get shamed for things like not putting car seat chest clips on right or for using fuzzy car seat strap covers. But somehow a ridiculous amount of people who viewed this video don't actually think this man put the baby in any real danger.
Dozens of commenters told people to stop judging the man for "having fun" with the baby.
There was also plenty of debate about whether or not the man was actually driving the car.
While it clearly looked to be moving forward, some people said that he probably wasn't moving at all. Others believe that if he was, there's no way he was going fast, or traveling anywhere other than his driveway.
One person claimed that the man in the video is actually just a comedian and that this video was a comedy skit.
No information has come out verifying those claims, but others pointed out that even as a skit, this would be a dangerous stunt.
A commenter claiming to be an auto insurance professional made it clear that it's still possible for kids to be injured in a car that's in a driveway.
In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that between 2008 and 2011, "non-traffic" car accidents killed 1,043 children aged 14 or younger. These non-traffic crashes are classified as being "mostly single-vehicle crashes on private roads, two-vehicle crashes in parking facilities, or collisions with pedestrians on driveways."
Whether the car was in a driveway, on a field, or traveling down a dirt road in the middle of the country doesn't matter. If a car is moving, there's a possibility of an accident — one that could have seriously hurt that unsecured baby.
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Luckily, not everyone was defending this man.
A large chunk of the video's nearly 10,000 comments were from people who were outraged — like most of us, they thought the man was being beyond reckless.
The man was accused of pulling the dangerous stunt for social media popularity and many expressed a desire to report him to authorities.
It's not clear if anyone was able to positively identify the man or the baby, but considering how comfortable the baby seemed, it doesn't look like this was the first time something like this has happened. We all know the dangers kids face in cars when they aren't buckled in, seated the right way, and attended to properly. The only place a baby that small belongs while on the road is in a car seat.
