We made it to Disneyland and back without resorting to the use of a DVD player in the car, although we did have one with us just in case. We did the same going to Calistoga recently and to Yosemite last year. Personally, I would rather the kids look out the window and see the world or at least do something creative as we roll along.

After reading this article, my position has only gotten stronger. No, they won't necessarily rot your child's brain (unless you put on Barney or the Teletubbies) but they could kill. The German safety organization DEKRA did some tests and found that when hit from behind as slowly as 18mph, the screens could come loose, fly backwards, and smash into a child, killing them. (Although, technically, they don't fly backwards, the kid would move forward into them, but the effect is the same.)

The DVD player used in the test was installed properly, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Screens installed in the backs of headrests or in the ceiling do not pose the same risk because they are permanently and solidly affixed in place. Those hanging by a strap from the front seat, however, are dangerous.

The problem is not limited to DVD players, though. The group found that cellphones and navigation systems attached to the windscreen or to an air vent also represent a danger. For a short while, I carried a fire extinguisher in the Rover. (It's a common and prudent practice in an off-highway vehicle.) I took it out, however, and gave it to a friend because I was too nervous having it sitting loose in the back and didn't have the time (or, honestly, the skills) to install it permanently. I'd hate to think what something like that would do in a roll-over.

Read the article and see what you think; you may want to take a look at what's floating about loose in your car and either move it to the trunk, strap it down, or take it out altogether. You know, just in case. Because while you and I are surely excellent, skilled drivers, we all know there are an awful lot of idiots out there on the road who seem to have gotten their driver's license out of a crackerjack box.