Once upon a time, there was a little red Jeep. He was already a grown-up little one because he could fill up with petrol by himself and even washed his own wheels before bed. And almost every morning, he went with his mum to the auto-nursery—that's a special daycare just for little cars.
Jeep was a good child and often listened to grown-ups. But he really didn't like riding in a car seat. He didn't like having to sit buckled in one place whilst he was going somewhere. So every time they tried to buckle him in, he would wave all four wheels and say he didn't want to go anywhere.
One day, Mum got really tired of arguing with Jeep and let him ride without a car seat. The happy little one sat on the free back seat and sang songs the whole way, cheerfully clapping his little doors. He knew that Mum was a careful driver, so he wasn't afraid to ride unbuckled.
They had almost arrived and nothing bad had happened. But suddenly, a silly little kitten jumped out onto the road! Mum braked sharply and swerved to the side, the brakes squealed, and she spun around. Little Jeep, because of the sharp turn, hit his bumper hard against the back of Mum's seat and fell onto the floor. The kitten wasn't hurt, just frightened that he'd caused an accident, and ran away.
Jeep, dear, are you alright?
Asked the frightened mum-jeep. She opened the door and pulled out her little one.
My bumper hurts! My wheel hurts!
Little Jeep cried.
Mum put him in the car seat and quickly drove to the auto-hospital. There, the auto-doctor examined the little patient, stuck a plaster on his bumper, and bandaged his broken wheel. And he said that until it healed, he couldn't run, jump, or play outside. He also told them off for not using a car seat, otherwise everyone would have stayed healthy. Jeep then said:
But we didn't know there would be an accident! If the kitten hadn't jumped onto the road, nothing bad would have happened!
Nobody knows when trouble will happen. If we knew when something bad would occur, we could avoid it. That's exactly why car seats are put in for children. The road is a very dangerous place! At any moment, someone might run out onto it, or it might become slippery, or there might be a bump. Then the car has to brake or turn sharply. If a child isn't buckled in, they'll get hurt badly and end up in hospital. Like you.
Jeep answered sadly:
I see... But I don't like car seats!
The auto-doctor laughed:
It doesn't have to be liked, it's meant to protect little ones. There are places for playing—playgrounds and your room. And there are dangerous places where you need to behave very carefully and attentively. And if your parents say it's time to buckle up, then you need to listen and not argue. You see, you didn't listen—now you can't play outside until your wheel heals. But you'll listen to your elders now and only ride in a car seat, won't you?
I will
Little Jeep answered.
And will you ride in a car seat, little one?
