I remember growing up without any sort of booster seat and sliding back and forth in my seat as my dad took corners a bit fast. Now they are legally required until a certain age and weight. I took the time to research the reasoning behind the law, deemed it sound and I do believe it's a good law. I survived childhood without the added safety of a booster seat, but that alone is not a reason to decline to use them. My parents survived until adulthood though they were held in their mothers' arms for long road trips, but that alone is not a reason to decline to use them. When I was rear ended by a dump truck a year and a half a ago with my father and daughter, my infant would have been launched through the windshield for several hundred feet before being run over by the dump truck as he fled the scene of the accident. Instead, she was fine except for a tiny bruise on her check because she was properly secured in her car seat. Each protective measure from car seats, to helmets, to shin guards, and so on, should be evaluated on their individual merit and not dismissed simply because we survived to adulthood without them. That said, I do feel that people do go overboard at times basing their judgements on fear rather than reason. It is best to research each protective item and sport to make the most educated judgement for yourself and your family.
