I noticed an oddity the other day while driving on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. I saw a car that did not have anywhere on its body a ribbon-shaped magnet. Honest. No magnets.

OK, OK, I’m being facetious. There may be more than one car on the road that does not sport a ribbon magnet.

What I have noticed, though, is the proliferation of messages that now appear in ribbon shape. Didn’t this all begin a few years ago with something like “Support our troops” in colors that were usually yellow or red, white and blue or camouflage?

Today magnetmania carries messages over highways and byways in themes ranging from patriotic to medical to animal rights to family matters to sports and on and on. Any day now I expect to see the ultimate message – “Whatever!”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-ribbon magnets. In fact, I have been known to gaze in admiration and awe when I see 10 or 15 multicolored beribboned messages neatly aligned on the back of a car or truck. I guess that comes from driving a little Toyota that doesn’t offer a lot of blank space for proclaiming personal sentiments.

Do any of you remember a silly song that had its brief moment in the limelight many years ago, maybe on the Arthur Godfrey Hour or some such TV variety show, I’m not sure, called “Yea, Boo”? It went something like this: “Yea, boo, yea, boo, it’s lots of fun to do. If you like it, holler yea! If you don’t, you holler boo!”
Well, let’s face it, things were simpler a few generations ago.
Anyway, I think it would be fun to see a craze catch on for yea-boo car magnets. For instance “Brainstorm – yea! Brainwash – boo!” Or how about “Smart mind – yea! Smart mouth – boo!” Or “Charitable – yea! Cheap – boo!” “Think outside the box – yea! Outside the law – boo!” “Fed well – yea! Fed up – boo!”
You get the idea. In a few brief words you give two messages – something you admire and something you censure. Just a thought.
The thing to remember about car magnets, especially in the Sunshine State, is to periodically remove them or move them to a new position on your car. Otherwise, Old Sol may burn them onto your car more permanently than a “Mom” tattoo on an arm. And, let’s face it, that message you’ve chosen to share with your fellow road warriors loses impact when the magnet grows faded and ragged.

Coggins corner
A reader wondered what the law had to say about child-safety restraints in cars. Was there any rule about front seat vs. back seat or age vs. weight, and were booster seats recommended?
Florida statute 316.613 1(a) states children through 3 years must be restrained by a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer’s integrated child seat. For children 4 and 5 years old, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat or a seat belt may be used.
Our favorite Florida Highway Patrol trooper, Larry Coggins, says, “Florida law does not tell people where to sit. However, we recommend that car seats and little people stay in the back seat for safety concerns.”
Some drivers may be tempted to place the shoulder belt under their child’s arm for a better fit. The Florida Department of Transportation, on its Web site, cautions drivers to never put the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the back, as this increases the risk of severe injury in a crash. The recommendation for a better fit is to use a booster seat once the child has outgrown the forward facing baby seat (about 40 pounds around 4 years old).
All child-restraint systems are not equal. The law requires a crash-tested, federally approved device. And isn’t that exactly what you want for your precious little bundle of flesh and blood?
For those parents new to the child safety-seat routine, there is a child safety-seat inspection station at Tampa Children’s Hospital and at several other places in Tampa where you can go to have your child-restraint system inspected for safety and installed. For a list of locations and contacts, visit http://www.seatcheck.org.
Coggins reminds drivers that the restraint system is no good unless the child is correctly secured in the seat and the seat is secured to the vehicle.
“Many times we see children sitting in seats and not strapped in or we see strapped-in children in seats that are not fastened to the vehicle,” Coggins said. “Also, we find where children will unbuckle their straps – copying mom and dad! Little people will do what grownups do. Buckle up and set a good example.”
Not properly securing your child is a moving violation that comes with $110 to $120 fine, depending on the county, and results in three points on the driver’s license, Coggins said.

Today’s bumper sticker
If you can read this, I’ve lost my trailer.

Carole Dickey is a staff writer and a Pasco County resident.  Send your rants and raves about traffic and motorists in the Land O’ Lakes/Wesley Chapel/New Tampa areas to or somply blog her.