Clunk click for every trip!
Aged around 8 and 11, myself and my sister were (as usual) buckled up in the back of our parent's large estate car*. My mum was driving, my dad was in the passenger seat and we'd just pulled off a roundabout when a police car signalled for us to stop.

My mum, a nervous driver at the best of times, pulled to an uneasy halt at the side of the road as all four of us looked at each other in confusion. We had no idea what this was about. The policeman walked over to the drivers side as my mum opened the window. He leaned in, and in the most accusatory voice I may have ever heard, boomed at her "DO YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN?"

"Yes" squeeked my mum, more confused than ever.
"Then why aren't they wearing their seatbelts?" he said, as his stern gaze turned to us.

My sister and I looked at each other. We looked at each others seatbelts which had been firmly fastened on leaving the driveway at home, and were indeed still buckled in place.

"They're fastened!" I protested.
"We always do!" said my sister and I nodded fiercely in agreement.

The policeman narrowed his eyes. I think he knew we weren't the type of family that he'd have expected to pull over, but he knew what he'd seen. Reluctantly he said "Well, make sure they stay that way." and told my mum how she was to safely pull back into traffic.

As he walked away there was a moment in the car where we all just paused, wondering what the hell had just happened. My mum, still shaken from the initial question hadn't even started the car when the policeman came marching back.

"I've just seen what's happened" he said, clearly relieved that he wasn't going mad. "You have kids seats in the boot don't you? Those were the seatbelts I saw that were unfastened!"

And indeed they were. Two fold down seats in the boot for when Grandma and Grandad were in the car and there wasn't room for us kids in the back. Even this sensible explanation did nothing to soothe my mothers nerves however and the rest of journey suffered from somewhat more erratic gear changes than usual. Bless. She really does love us.

*Apologies for lack of Honda Accords
( e.m.m.y. foxtrot uniform charlie kilo india tango, Fri 6 May 2011, 17:14, Reply)