Parents Are Just Realizing They’ve Been Using ‘Baby on Board’ Sign All Wrong- Motorsport Expert Reveals Its True Purpose

Dangling on the rear glass of a Honda SUV is a yellow diamond sign that says in big bold letters, “Baby on Board!” For years parents have been using this sign on their cars, yet, it means a million different things to different people. In The Simpsons’ episode Homer's Barbershop Quartet, Marge purchases a sign like this, she exclaims to Homer, “Look what I got! Now people will stop intentionally ramming our car!" However, the sign isn’t just to prevent people from ramming into your car. Its purpose is something else, as TikTok user, Pentagram Motorsport (@pentagrammotorsport), revealed in a video.

“Are you using the ‘baby on board’ sign wrong?” the motorsport and road sport expert from North East England, asked his viewers. He noted that although drivers face challenges while driving with kids, this sign isn’t meant to indicate to other drivers that there’s a kid in your car. “This sign isn’t a sign to go cute, and say ‘Oh I’ve got a baby with me.’ Also, it isn’t a sign to other road users to say ‘My driving might be slightly distracted,’” he explained. Rather, he revealed that the infamous car sticker is actually "a sign to the emergency services." He pointed out, "If they find your car crashed, they find you passed out in the car. They find your car’s rolled down a bank. This is the sign that they need to stay on the scene and look and find the baby who was on board."

He emphasized that the sign should be removed from the car as soon as the baby grows up or is no longer there inside the vehicle. “You might not realize why leaving it suction-cupped on the rear window all of the time might be a problem because you’re only supposed to have its suction-cupped in the rear window whilst you’ve actually got a baby in the car with you," the expert noted.

Hundreds of people expressed amazement at this information. TikTokers said they initially believed that the sign was to encourage other drivers to drive carefully, to request them not to honk, to prevent tailgating, or to insist they not to ram into your car because they got a baby. “I always thought it was to warn other drivers to drive safe,” commented @jacobschofield3. @lolchaic5js reflected, “It’s the same as a disability sticker in case of a crash they will know the passenger may not respond correctly.” Many people who worked as firefighters or paramedics agreed that everyone should know this detail about the “Baby On Board” signs.

According to MyNRMA, the “baby on board” signs have a backstory dating to 1984. During this time, Michael Lerner, a former real estate investor from Massachusetts, USA, set out on a mission to make road trips safer for children. It all started when he was driving his 18-month-old nephew home. Whilst other drivers cut off his lane or tailgated him, he felt a fear. “For the first time, I felt like a parent feels when they have a kid in the car,” he said.

Lerner had spotted some safety signs while traveling in Europe. Using his experience and innovation, he designed his own “baby on board” safety signs and started pitching the product to his contacts in the retail industry. In 1984, he sold over 10,000 signs, and within nine months, his company was already making over 500,000 sales a month. Today, millions of parents browsing the shelves of Target, Walmart, and other retail stores, pick up these signs and nonchalantly toss one in their carts.

You can follow Pentagram Motorsport (@pentagrammotorsport) on TikTok for motorsport and roadsport advice!