Britney Spears explains her lack of car seat

by Melissa Summers (Subscribe to Melissa Summers's posts) Feb 7th 2006 12:33PM

Oh dear Britney Spears is appearing on the internet driving with her son Sean Preston on her lap and not in a car seat as one might, you know, expect. This latest act has the world in a froth.

Britney has released a statement through People Magazine explaining her actions. She says while her bodyguard was in Starbucks getting her a coffee, the paparazzi began to swarm her car while she took her son out of his car seat to wait for her coffee. When the bodyguard returned Britney feared for her child's safety and so drove away saying, "I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way."

Oh Britney, you really can't win.

You can still see the pictures for now (the original site pulled the shots when threatened by Spears' people) at JustJared.com.

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Comments (19)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bonnie 2-07-2006 @ 12:43PM

I'm disappointed in myself for clicking through to look at the pictures taken by the very paparazzi which probably swarmed and left her feeling the need to flee.

But Britney - NEVER drive without properly restraining your baby and yourself! (One of those paparazzi jerks will probably try to hit you on purpose for a more sensational story.)

And on another note, what a pain that this is probably par for the course for her to simply get some coffee.

eden 2-07-2006 @ 12:50PM

I have nothing to add about her obvious idiocy. I feel for little Sean. I can't imagine what his life will be like.

Anyway, what struck me was this: if she was so "terrorized" by this paparazzi incident, why did she make her statement through a magazine that buys photographs from the paparazzi?

Christina 2-07-2006 @ 1:14PM

That poor kid. First his dad takes off with him to pierce his ear, and slams on the brakes when mom comes chasing after them. Now he's out of the car seat on the highway. I don't think this kid is going to make it to 18.

If she was so terrified, why is she smiling in the pics? And if her bodyguard went to get the coffee, why did she feel the need to get out of the car and take the boy out of his carseat?

I can understand being scared, but why not just climb into the car, lock the doors, then lean over the backseat to put him back in the carseat?

dlbs 2-07-2006 @ 1:18PM

Why does she have a bodyguard? Isn't it to protect her in just such a situation? She could have easily climbed in the back w/ Sean and buckled him in while the bodyguard drove away. That would have been the more prudent course of action. I've never been swarmed by the paparazzi, so I don't doubt that she panicked and just wanted to get away, but when will celebrities realize that fleeing photographers isn't justification for breaking the law and putting others (especially a child) in danger?

Tricia 2-07-2006 @ 1:21PM

She's just a FOOL. Why not hand the baby to her body guard to put the baby in his carseat?

Anna 2-07-2006 @ 1:39PM

She's a moron, plain and simple. She should have left the baby in the seat to begin with. Aren't celebrities constantly blaming paparazzi on car accidents and such? Why would she risk her own child's life as a getaway? What if someone Godforbid hit her car? I just have no use for this girl whatsoever.

Tom F. 2-07-2006 @ 1:48PM

I don't know about anyone else, but I'd never let MY bodyguard get my coffee for me. The clumsy oaf ALWAYS gets it wrong! Good help is SO hard to find... *sigh*

Nancy Toby 2-07-2006 @ 1:55PM

What is it about celebrities and cups of coffee (e.g., the BB Katie Holmes thread)?? Can't they get the housekeeper to make them a decent cup of Peet's in the privacy of their own home? I mean, even Lance Armstrong would carry his own during the Tour de France. You don't like paparazzi, Brit? Sure you don't. Then stay the heck out of public coffeeshops.

Ms Sisyphus 2-07-2006 @ 7:11PM

You know what? I say leave the poor girl alone. She made a stupid mistake. But the abuse that this poor young woman has taken in the past 16 weeks is starting to make me ill. Imagine being an inexperienced first time mom. Now imagine having the entire free world waiting to catch you screwing it up and then gleefully commenting on every single thing you do. I feel badly for her.

Plus, why should Britney, or any celebrity for that matter, have to keep her child out of a coffee shop or any other public establishment? I could see it if she'd brought him to The Grammys. But to the Starbucks??? Puh-leeze.

I think there should be a law barring the publication of photographs of anyone under 18 without parental consent. I mean, if they take the kid to a premiere or and awards show and something "industry" then I'd say that there's implied consent. But the park? Grocery shopping? Preschool? I think that's *really* out of line.

Lisa 2-07-2006 @ 9:04PM

For all of you wanting Britney left alone: Where did you stand on the whole Michael Jackson dangling his baby incident? And, how is this different?

The world was up in arms over that baby hanging over that railing. Britney had this child in the front seat, no seatbelt on herself, driving down the PCH. She knew that the pictures were being taken, and obviously from a distance. Her actions show flagrant disregard for her child and his safety.

Sure, the very idea that she can't leave her house without a bodyguard and being hounded by photographers sucks for her, but I've never heard of that being a valid excuse for comprimising the safety of your child or for breaking the law. If this happened to be my neighbor and not someone famous I would be just as irritated. There is no defense for what this mother did.

angelica 2-08-2006 @ 3:12AM

I have to side with Tom F. Bodyguards are not baristas. I'm watching Jimmy Kimmel spoof the Today show on this and my question is, "yeah, why AREN'T her windows tinted?"

David L Gorman 2-08-2006 @ 5:55PM

Funny many of us are in a rush to get things done and go places, there has been times that you need to rush out the door. HOWEVER, there was a passenger in the car with her that could have mover thier butt to the back seat of the BIG SUV, and place the child in the restraint. SORRY Britney you are wrong!!! Even if you had the paparazzi after you, you should have used some common sense to put the child in their seat. You can also lock the dang door, and do it your self prior to leaving. I do not think the paparazzi would have nocked down your SUV to get to you... Think Ahead, not behind!

Stupid People :(

Thanks David L Gorman

jen 2-09-2006 @ 6:00AM

There is no excuse for Britney's behaviour. Sure, all of us have times when the last thing we want to do is wrestle with a child seat. But I'd say a misplaced vehicle in the side of her car is a darn sight more dangerous than a misplaced camera lens. Get a grip, Britney. Just because she's a celebrity she has no excuse to break the law. I do hope she at least gets a warning.

R. 2-10-2006 @ 8:43AM

There was no excuse for driving off with out having the child properly seatbelted.

She had her Body Guard in the front passanger seat so it was not like she was alone. I'm sure she also had a cell phone to call the police if she actually felt threatned.

They always had the options of locking the door and having Brittney move the the back seat and buckel the litte one up and besides Brittney doesn't have the training and driving ability that a Body Guard would have.

On a side note just because the Law Enforcement did not give her a ticket means very little. They can only issues citations for a Felony that did not occur in their presence. This does not stop their version of Childrens and Family Services from having their own investiation since there were pictures of them driving away with the child not restrained.

I look at it like this: She was stupid and wasn't thinking and now she's looking for every reason to justify her actions.

Karen 2-20-2006 @ 8:21PM

Why the big rush to get away from the paparazzi? Were they going to harm the baby? Eat him? Pinch his cheeks? Take his picture? Yikes! In People magazine Britney mentions the death of Princess Diana as she raced away from the photographers. What does she think would have happened to her infant if she had wrecked? Even in the event of a low speed fender bender, if the airbag would have deployed, we would have been reading a sad story about the baby's burial and how she blames the paparazzi. There is only one person to blame for the bad decision, and it's the baby's mother. There is no excuse for not putting the baby in his car seat. Give me a break! If having the baby's picture taken is something she really wishes to protect him from, leave him at home with the nanny!

mark in sf 3-06-2006 @ 3:20AM

What kind of car seat was it? Maybe she should blame the manufacturer for making it too difficult to restrain the child.

We always knew she was a no-talent skank. Now we know she's also stupid.
-m