Baby on Board, part II

So I had a lunch appointment with a priest friend of mine this afternoon. The previous afternoon, I had put a toddler car seat into the front seat of my car, as the rest of my car was full of this and that. I didn't think anything about it. I just tossed it in, back part front.

I forgot to take it out when I was home last night. As I was driving across town today, I noticed that people were giving me dirty looks. People who follow traffic laws in Lincoln have that effect on people, especially if they actually do something as gauling as stop for a red light.

Then someone began honking at me, mouthing obviously unkind words, and making hand gestures at me or to my automobile. The first time it happened, I was not sure they were talking to me as it was a trafficky section of town. When it happened again, I began looking in all my mirrors to try and figure out what the problem was. I was following traffic laws as far as I could tell.

Flat tire?
Was my car on fire?
What is the deal?

Then the occurrence happened a second time, ironically from someone driving while talking on a cell phone in the other hand. It happened to be right when I was at the red light for the intersection of the restaurant I was meeting my colleague at. So I pulled off, and parked. And I walked around my car to try and figure out what people seemed to be so fixated about.

Then it occurred to me: Despite the fact that the car seat was empty, people were honking at me to tell me I shouldn't have a baby in the front seat of my car!

Right peculiar from a town where most people think every other traffic law is a suggestion and not mandated.