Who knew?
We see them almost every day on our roads – the little yellow squares attached to back windows with bold black writing printed upon it. Baby on Boad signs are a normal part of driving – but have you ever wondered why we use them?
Well, according to news.com.au, there’s the reason most of us know about – and then there’s the REAL reason.
According to an urban legend, the baby on board sign came about due to a horrible car accident that happened back in the 80’s. A woman was pulled from her car unconscious, but it wasn’t until sometime later that they found a deceased baby under the front passenger-side dash.
It’s a pretty horrible story, right? Well, thankfully, this story is complete codswallop – a tale that’s been passed down by fearful parents and clueless school children.
The real story is much less devastating. In 1984, a former real estate investor from the US known as Michael Lerner was driving his 18-month-old nephew home and noticed just how badly people were driving around him. Lerner was driving cautiously, and a little slower to make sure his nephew was safe. However, others on the road were tailgating him and overtaking him, resulting in his desire to find a way to communicate to other drivers that he had a baby on board.
The sign had already been introduced to the US by two sisters, but was never successful. Lerner purchased the license from the sisters, and badda-bing baddam-boom – the baby on board sign as we know it today was born.
Now, we just need a ‘fur-babies on board’ sign.
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Words by Kate Stevens
Images: Unsplash
