The New Car Seat Law (A Langston Story)

Author's Note

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a relatively short story that helps shed some light on the country of Langston.

For those that follow A Trip to the Amusement Park, you'll already have heard of Langston, but for everyone else: For some background - this is a Langston-universe Story. Langston is this completely artificial country I've created with the hopes of, through a series of stories, developing a world where safety restraints become commonplace in everyday life for the purposes of ensuring safety for all.

Disclaimer: Obviously the world I'm proposing is not something I would condone / support IRL (this is not how good parenting / caretaking works, and from a legal standpoint it's clearly a dystopia more than anything), but in the realm of fantasy, I think it's an interesting enough concept to explore.

From a world-building and storytelling perspective, the idea is to create a world where restraints can be commonplace and not feel completely out of place / unrealistic.

This world, if it to be believable, will take several stories and iterations to build up. I have already planned several more stories in this universe, spread over many years, that outline the development and eventual state of Langston.

This is the second story in the series, and more importantly, the first one in the development (although we are already a few years into Langston's development, as you'll soon see). The stories will not be in chronological order, and the idea is that stories will outline glimpses into the various eras of Langston undergoing change.

This particular story focuses on the implementation of state two of the Car Seat Law, (stage one is referenced in A Trip to the Amusement Park, but one doesn't need to read it to understand this one). And follows the journey of four characters: Maya, Elisa, Kate, and Samantha, and how the new laws have a profoundly different impact on everyone.

Despite the premise of creating a more realistic world, the stories in Langston will require more suspension of disbelief compared to stories like Lizzie, and that's by design. Especially as the world is being built up, there will be times where parts of the story feel "empty" or even completely unrealistic. Please do feel free to bring these up, I think there are several questions that are purposely left vague, with the idea that they will be addressed and filled in with later stories and background, but I've never even attempted creating anything of this scale, so all I can say is... let's see where this goes together haha.

---

The new car seat law was one of the first laws to be enforced during the phase two changes in Langston.

Maya had known the new rules were coming, everyone did. It had been all over the news when it had first been announced. Some people had protested, but the population of Langston had seen the improvements SAFETI was bringing about, so the law was brought into effect without too much upheaval. Besides, as far as Maya understood, for adults like her, not too much was changing.

It was currently the start of the month-long probation period. She’d left her car at the shop only a few days prior so that an upgraded harness could be installed in all of the five seats. The modification had been free, somehow covered by the Langston government.

Maya walked over to the shop shorty after work in her low heels. She was looking forward to driving again.

Interestingly enough, despite the widespread coverage, Maya wasn’t actually familiar with the new rules. Sure, everyone knew the basics — the normal seatbelts on cars had been deemed unsafe after recent studies, so the mandate required a better safety harness in all vehicles — but she didn’t even know what they would look like.

That explained why the straps all over her car looked a bit ridiculous. Sitting down however, it soon became quite intuitive.

Two straps came from the top, one over each shoulder, before they ran off to either side of her waist. In between them were metal tongues, which fed into a central buckle that came up from strap between her legs.

The last strap made Maya extremely glad that she’d had the foresight to wear her dress pants today instead of her usual tight skirts.

Behind her, Maya overhead a lady that wasn’t quite so fortunate. “This is ridiculous, certainly you don’t expect me to put this on today? I thought there was still two weeks left before the law takes effect.”

“Sorry ma’am, like I said, your old seatbelt has already been removed, so you must put on the harness or I’m afraid I can’t allow you to exit.”

“That’s absolutely ridiculous. I can’t put it on with my skirt!”

“Sorry ma’am. There were signs and notices all over the place on this new law. And it was in the paperwork you signed last week when you dropped off your vehicle. I’m surprised you weren’t warned about it.

“If you don’t have a change of clothing, I will have to suggest you either come back later to pick up your car, or put it over your skirt for the drive home.”

“How dare you even suggest such indecency! Your manager will be hearing about this!” the lady screamed before she was escorted off the premises.

Maya couldn’t help but chuckle, before turning back to her own harness. The final piece was a clip that secured the two vertical straps neatly over her chest. All in all, the seat was much like the car seats she’d used as a child.

The shop mechanic instructed her on how to adjust the harness properly to meet regulations. It felt a bit childish to be instructed on how to put on a seatbelt, but nonetheless, Maya complied and soon exited the shop all securely buckled.

The first week took a bit of getting used to. Maya occasionally found herself squirming in her seat, as the wide crotch strap rubbed against her in a weird way. She had to double-check the manuals to verify that the straps were indeed supposed to be that tight.

But she soon grew used to the feeling. Sure, it still made wearing skirts and dresses more inconvenient — Maya had transitioned to wearing mostly dress pants or bringing a change of clothes — but all in all it really was just like another seatbelt.

———

It had been a long day of school, and Elisa was eager to get home and unwind. Waving goodbye to her friends, she ran over as her mom’s car pulled into the parking lot.

“Hey Dil—,” she started, but stopped as she stared at her younger brother. “Why are you back in your car seat? I thought they became optional for you last year?” Her ten year old brother was strapped in a large navy-blue car seat. The seat had wide straps that went over Dillan’s shoulders, joined at his chest by a clip, before running downward. Elisa couldn’t see anything else because it was blocked by a large table, where Dillan’s hands were currently resting.

“The new revision of the car seat law is coming into effect soon, don’t you remember? It’s been all over the news.”

In all honesty, Elisa hadn’t been paying much attention to local news. And while she’d overheard a few friends talking about it during lunch, she’d never thought too much about it. “Yes, but can you remind me, what’s new?”

“Basically, five point seatbelts are becoming mandatory for all motor vehicles. And those that are under the height and weight limits must use car seats. The fines for breaking the rules are far more strict too. We’re actually getting the seatbelts themselves installed tomorrow,” her mom, Beth, explained.

“I see,” Elisa said, taking a seat, still staring at her brother.

“What?” Dillan asked, shifting around in his seat.

Elisa smirked, saying nothing.

“What?!” Dillan said. He swung his arm out, Elisa ducked back, but with the harness, Dillan’s punch acame short.

Elisa broke into a chuckle as Dillan pulled against his harness, leaning to try and land in a playful punch.

“Calm down back there, Elisa, don’t make any fun of your brother.”

***

“I still can’t believe the car seat changes,” Elisa said as she plated her food and joined the others at the dinner table. “I know they already increased the age limit previously, but to raise it again? What’s next, you need a high chair to eat too?” she smirked.

Her brother just stuck his tongue out as he hopped onto his seat.

“Actually, Elisa dear, how tall are you again?”

“145, why do you ask?”

“And how much do you weigh?”

“Uhh, 40ish? Why?”

“Hm…” Beth fiddled with her phone before replying. “I think you and I may have to make a trip tomorrow.”

“What is it?”

“You’re under the limit, which means you need to be in a car seat as well.”

“What?!” Elisa exclaimed. This time, it was Dillan’s turn to chuckle. “That’s ridiculous, I’m fifteen!”

“Age isn’t a factor with these car seat laws anymore. Studies have shown that what really matters for safety is the height and weight of the occupant. If you are too short or too light, you need a car seat or a booster seat. In your case, you’re actually both, so that means you’re definitely going to need it.”

Elisa took the phone from her mom and skimmed through. The page explicitly stated that age was no longer a factor. Her mouth simply hung agape, not knowing what to say. She would need to go back to using a booster seat like a child!

“Your friends who are similar size will have to do the same. If you really don’t trust me, we can go down to the center tomorrow and ask. We need to do it soon though, the law comes into effect next week and you certainly don’t want your learner’s license revoked because of this.”

***

The next day, Elisa and her mom walked into the store. Langston Observation and Care for Kids hung over the entrance.

“Hello, welcome, how may I help you?” The girl was dressed in a magenta top and khaki pants. Amanda was written on the name tag on her chest

“Hello Amanda, we’re looking for a car seat for my young one here.”

“Ahem,” Elisa coughed.

“Ah booster seat, and we wanted to make sure if she needs one, because —“

“Because I’m nearly sixteen already, surely I don’t need a stupid booster seat, right?”

Amanda raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst, but kept her composure as she replied. “Unfortunately…” she looked at her.

“Elisa.”

“Unfortunately, Elisa, you don’t seem to meet the height nor weight requirements. We can double-check on the scale, but if so, your mom’s interpretation of the law is correct, you do indeed need a booster seat.

“In fact, I just sold a seat to a twenty-two year old and her husband! So, while it’s less common, you certainly aren’t the only older person needing a car seat.”

“But how am I supposed to drive? I’m taking my new driver’s test next month!”

“That does indeed make things a bit more complicated. There are two options. You can buy one of the specially designed cars for our smaller drivers. These have special seats that allow you to be properly harnessed and still reach the pedals.

“Or, you can apply for an exception process. This for the older children who are still under the height and weight limit, but have approval from their parents to bypass the general safety concerns of not using a car seat. This would allow you to use a modified harness in the car, rather than the mandatory car seat.”

“Can’t I just get the exception today?”

“I’m afraid, the process is very backed up right now. Most people began applying for the exception three months ago. Last I heard, it’s a four month wait at this point. In the meantime, you’ll need to use a seat or you may get your licence suspended.”

“Does that mean we have to buy a car seat that will quickly become obsolete?” Beth asked.

“Oh no, of course not! While I personally would recommend still using the seat when you can, even if you do get the exception — the studies have shown just how much safer they are — we do provide rentals so you can return the seat whenever the approval comes through.”

“Oh, that convenient.”

“So, how about we get started and find you a seat that you like, and I can help you fill out the exception forms after?” Amanda asked with a smile.

“Fine, let’s just get it over with,” Elisa rolled her eyes.

“Right this way.” The three of them walked toward the back of the store. Elisa saw several aisles of clothing, strollers, and even some things she didn’t even understand.

They eventually stopped by a long row of car seats. The selection was ginormous, ranging from small seats that leaned back for little babies to larger ones like the one Dillon had.

“Where are the booster seats?” Elisa asked, noticing that all of them had their own set of straps.

“What do you mean?”

“These all have harnesses!”

“Oh, I apologize, the harness-less seats, or booster seats as you called it, have been outlawed. Studies showed they can’t be properly secured with the new five point harnesses, and thus risk children slipping and getting injured in crashes, so the government mandated that all seats must have their own harness. Since there’s only one type, I thought you were referring to the booster seats with harnesses, which are the only ones we have now.

“But isn’t that just a car seat?”

“Terms are often used interchangeably. Even prior to the law, plenty of our car seats converted to booster seats as the children got older.

“Now, given your age, I would recommend one from this section over here, would you want to sit in one to try it?” Amanda gestured at a few seats.

“But…” There were three seats that Amanda pointed to. One was magenta with a cupholder, the other was a navy blue with a table. The third was a dark purple, and had a large headrest that stretched out further than the other two.

“What’s the difference between them?” Beth asked while Elisa was left staring at all of the seats.

“Great question! The magenta one a slightly older design, it’s a bit simpler, and has fewer accessories, but is still a best seller. The blue and purple ones here are part of our newer Safety Plus and Safety Plus Pro lines. Their main selling point is their modularity, we carry a bunch of accessories such as the PlayTable and SleepyRest that you see featured here. There’s a bunch more and they’re all interchangeable with the newer models. Of course, the Pro one also has the latest security features, such as…”

Elisa tuned Amanda out as she droned on. She still couldn’t believe it, she was going to have to sit in one of these for the next four months?

“Elisa, are you there?” The question shook the girl back to reality. “If you don’t mind taking off your coat, we can get you seated, Elisa. Which one would you like to try first?”

They all looked similar to Elisa, “The purple one, I guess,” Elisa said, simply picking her favorite color.

Amanda nodded, pulling the purple demo unit off of the shelf. She brought it over to the side, where there was a mock van with several seats. She led them inside, and secured the car seat in place on one of them, before pulling back the straps and gesturing for Elisa to take a seat.

Sitting down, Elisa felt the seat swallow her, the soft padding giving her a warm hug as she sank into the foam.

“As you can see, we use the most premium memory foam, this ensures that even our larger passengers will be comfortable after a long ride. Now, if you can give me your arms…”

Elisa complied, and Amanda began explaining as she tugged on the straps. “Fastening your child is simple. We start off with these two on either side of her, which feed into the central buckle here.” Amanda pulled out the straps from either side of Elisa, before pulling a third one from between her legs.

“Now, it’s as simple as fastening them together, just like your other car seats. Of course, there’s the typical chest clip, which we make sure is positioned at armpit level before simply snapping it closed. The only difference you may notice compared to your typical car seat is that this chest clip actually has its own straps that run under our passengers armpits here. This helps correctly position her in the seat,” Amanda explained, pointing out the straps as she went.

“On a normal vehicle, the built-in five point harnesses would not be positioned correctly, and leave too much room over the shoulders for shorter passengers like yourself, and therefore be unsafe. Which leads me to the next step: fitting.

“Normally, this is the biggest mistake that guardians make when buckling in their children. They may secure the straps too tightly or too loosely, both of which have obvious problems. Another problem is that straps can sometimes get looser over time, decreasing the effectiveness of the harness.

“The Safety Plus lines address both of these with its auto-tensioning mechanism. Simply put, you can tug as hard as you can, and the seat automatically calibrates the tightness based on the pressure it detects from the passenger, and can’t overtighten. Like so,” Amanda pulled on a single strap from the foot of the seat, and Elisa felt all of the straps tighten around her, pulling her deeper into the seat. Just as it was about to feel too tight, it stopped.

“How do you feel?” Beth asked.

“Tight,” Elisa said, struggling in the seat.

“But is it tight to the point of being uncomfortable?”

Elisa shifted around, noticing the straps actually had padding on their undersides, so while they pressed into her body, they didn’t dig in uncomfortably. “Actually, the padding is really soft, so it’s actually pretty comfortable…” The foam was great too, perhaps even better than her mattress. “But the straps feel weird of course,” she quickly added, not wanting them to get the wrong idea.

Amanda then let Beth try the tensioning mechanism. Elisa watched as her mom pulled with all her might, but the harness didn’t continue to tighten, keeping its firm embrace around Elisa.

“As you can see, you can make sure the straps are secured correctly each time by just giving this single strap a quick tug after seating your child.”

Amanda went about explaining some of the other features of the seat while Elisa sat, squirming about as the adults talked a few steps away from her.

Elisa glanced up to see a boy walk by, and their eyes met for a brief moment. Suddenly, she was conscious about being strapped up. A teenager sitting in a baby seat in the middle of the store! The picture was just outright ridiculous.

Yet it was her reality. Elisa blushed as they walked by.

To distract herself, she began inspecting the seat. The straps themselves were like the a seatbelt, wide and strong, but with padding on the underside up to her shoulders. They were actually colored to match the rest of the purple, which Elisa had to admit was a nice touch.

The seat was raised on either side. They both had padding, which acted to gently squeeze Elisa’s butt and thighs in from either side. She tried to spread her legs, but the padding severely limited her movement.

At the top of each side was a wide armrest, which Elisa rested her arms on. The seat continued to curve around her on either side, which had the effect of gently hugging her torso and upper body.

Behind her head, Elisa noticed the large headrest. It curved and stretched out far on either side, which limited her field of view somewhat. But the padding was soft, and as Elisa rested her head on them, it felt like she was sleeping on a cloud. This might come in handy for a long road trips.

With her survey of the seat complete, Elisa started feeling restless. Amanda and her mom were still off to the side, talking about something Elisa couldn’t quite hear.

Elisa realized she’d left her phone in her jacket. It was on the other seat just a few feet in front of her, however, as she leaned, she realized she couldn’t reach it.

Just as she was about to unbuckle herself, Amanda came back and released her from the seat.

The three of them repeated the process again with the magenta one, much to Elisa’s frustration. She just wanted to get the rental and get out of the store as soon as possible.

“Did you want to try the blue one?” Amanda asked as Elisa unbuckled herself from the magenta one.

“No thanks,” Elisa said. Matching colors with her brother sounded like a horrible idea.

“So which one did you like?” Beth asked.

Elisa thought for a bit. The magenta one had thinner padding, so it hadn’t been nearly as comfortable. Besides, Elisa preferred the purple color and it had the pillow headrest. “The purple one was the most comfortable.”

“Is the color good? There are a few others available but I’ll have to check the stock.”

“I like the purple,” Elisa quickly said, just wanting to leave.

“Alright, let me check… Yes, we have one in stock for rental. Let me ring that up for you while we can talk about accessories and help Elisa fill out the exclusion form.”

The form only took a few minutes, which Elisa appreciated. However, instead of leaving, her mom began asking all sorts of questions, like how to maintain the seat, and even if Dillan’s seat needed replacing.

Amanda patiently responded, but Elisa was bored out of her mind. She begged her mom to leave, but Beth only told her to be patient. So instead, Elisa played on her phone. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally came back.

“Thank you for all your help today,” Beth said. Elisa felt a nudge against her arm.

“Thank you, Amanda,” Elisa yelped.

“My pleasure. Please call me if you have any problems.” Amanda replied, handing them her card. “I hope you enjoy your new seat, Elisa!”

“As if,” Elisa muttered under her breath, but thankfully neither of them seemed to notice.

They finally left the store, and Elisa was just eager to get home so she could go to the mall with her friends.

Elisa headed to the passenger seat only for her mom to stop her.

“Your seat is back here now.” She guided Elisa to the rear right seat. The door swung open to reveal the purple seat.

“What?” Elisa asked. She hadn’t expected the seat to be ready today. In the car, the seat looked larger than it had in the store.

“The assistants at the store offered to help us install it, so they did that while I was asking questions.”

“I don’t need to wear it today right? It’s still the probation period.”

“It is, but we already rented the seat. And what do you think the police would say if they pulled us over and saw you wearing a normal seatbelt when there’s a perfectly safe seat in the back?”

“But…”

“Besides, it’s only a twenty minute ride home, and I need practice making sure I know how to use the seat.”

Elisa knew by her mom’s tone that she wasn’t in the mood to discuss this any further, and so she resigned, hopping onto the seat.

Her mom was much less practiced than Amanda, and it took a couple of minutes before Elisa was properly secured into the seat.

“How is it?” Beth asked as she hopped into the driver’s seat.

“Embarrassing,” Elisa said, refusing to make eye contact.

“Well, you’ll only have to use it for a bit until the exception process goes through. But at least it’s comfortable, right?”

“I guess…” Elisa rolled her eyes. Thankfully, her mom didn’t push the topic any further. Elisa spent the entire journey thinking about how she would explain it to her friends.

———

“This is ridiculous,” Kate said as her boyfriend strapped her into the large purple seat. She still couldn’t believe she fell into the range of people who still needed these stupid car seat seats. It’s not like she could control her height. She had her parents stupid genes to blame. She was twenty-two for fucks sake!

Why did she even need to apply for the stupid exception? She cursed at herself for not having applied for it sooner.

“I don’t know, you look quite cute in purple, don’t you think?” George teased.

“No!” Kate had been embarrassed enough being strapped into the seat in the middle of the store. Kids passing by kept staring at the lady in a business blouse and dress pants strapped into a child seat. The thought alone caused Kate to shudder.

Besides why was she sitting in it right now?

“We should try it out now or we’d have to drive all the way back in case there’s an issue.”

“And I can do this on my own!” she pushed George’s hands away, moving to secure it herself. However, the straps were just a bit too short to reach.

“Here, let me help,” George gently took the straps back from her. He fiddled with the seat, lengthening them before securing the buckles.

Kate felt the air pushed out of her as the straps were retightened. “It’s too tight!”

“You heard the lady, they have their proprietary auto-tensioning mechanism, so they are always the right tightness.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Kate. I know you’re not excited about the seat, but we already applied for the exception last week, all we can do is wait. And for now, you can let me enjoy how adorable you look all strapped up like a cute little baby.” He ruffled her hair.

“Get away you…” Kate playfully slapped his hands away, but secretly flashed a smile.

“Alright, let me secure this and we will be on our way home soon and we can get you back out of this thing,” George said as he fastened the only accessory that Kate had actually wanted, the table. The table was a large rectangular piece that over her legs. It had padding on the end that rested against her stomach.

As George latched it closed, it pushed a bit more into her than she remembered. Had it been this tight in the store?

The table had a rubbery top with slightly raised edges, likely to help prevent things from sliding and falling off in the moving car. But Kate had wanted this accessory because this at least allowed her to use her laptop in the car. So perhaps she could get some work done during her morning commute, since she’d now been relegated to the back seat until the government gave her permission back.

Ugh. While she’d originally been on board when the SAFETI initiatives had first been announced, this was now getting out of hand!

“There we go, my little baby is nice and secure,” George gave her a quick peck on the cheek before returning to the drivers’ seat.

Kate squirmed in her seat as the car pulled out of the driveway. It was ridiculous being strapped in. At the very least, George was also wearing a harness like her. Everyone had to under the new regulations. But a car seat… Correction, a baby seat. This was obviously on a whole different level.

She sighed. Very few stores were licensed to sell the new safety equipment, and so they had driven two towns over for the seat. With the afternoon traffic, it would well over an hour before they would be home.

A little into the ride, and Kate decided she might as well get some work done on her new table. She looked around for her laptop, an act made difficult by the headrest.

“Where’s my laptop?” she asked George.

“Oops, I think it’s still in the back.”

Kate leaned over to grab it, but quickly realized that between the tight harness and the seat’s curved sides, she could barely move from her spot.

“Ugh, I can’t reach,” she grunted.

“I can pull over at the next stop and grab it for you.”

“Fine,” Kate sat back, pulling out her phone.

Wait a second… Why did she have to wait for her boyfriend to help her? She wasn’t a literal baby, all she had to do was release herself quickly, grab it, and fasten herself back.

This stupid thing is starting to mess with my brain, she thought as she mentally facepalmed.

She reached for the buckle at her crotch, only to realize the table was in the way.

She pushed against it, but the table refused to budge. No problem, it was probably like a high chair, with some locking mechanism. Kate ran her fingers around the edges until she reached what felt like a latch. Pulling it, she managed to unlock the table from the seat.

Kate quietly detached the table, glancing up to see if George was looking at her. However, his eyes were focused on the road.

She felt her heart race a little. That was weird. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. But then why was she acting like a little child afraid of being caught?

Shaking her head to wake herself, she continued. She put her hand at the buckle release at her crotch and pressed down. Nothing. She tried again, harder this time.

Nothing.

Feeling around, rather than a smooth button, she felt some form of rectangular slit on the buckle. Confused, she tried to look downward, an effort made difficult by the tight upper chest strap.

Perhaps she just needed a better angle. Kate moved to unclip the chest clip. She felt for the release on the clip, and pressed down on it. But it too didn’t budge.

This seat was really beginning to get on her nerves. Kate tried to recall what the sales associate had said about unbuckling, but she’d mostly been on a phone call while George had been talking to her.

Part of her wanted to ask George for help, but that was beyond embarrassing. Surely, a child’s seat couldn’t keep her, a fully grown adult, strapped in like a baby?

Kate focused on the chest clip. However, she found the clip was jammed, the button refusing to depress.

Pushing and tugging, she tried to lower it so she could slip out the top. However, she soon realized that the additional straps running under her arms prevented the clip from being moved too far vertically. Additionally, she discovered another strap that ran behind her neck before connecting to the chest clip. This pulled her neck down when she pushed the chest clip down, meaning she couldn’t even slip an arm out through the hole.

She grunted, trying to loosen any of the straps, but she couldn’t even find where they had been tightened from. She struggled, pushing her body hard against the straps in frustration, but they didn’t loosen an inch.

Ugh! What was wrong with this stupid seat?

A quiet giggling broke her trance, and Kate finally glanced up to see her boyfriend staring at her in the rearview mirror.

“Is my little baby enjoying her seat?”

“Why can’t I take it off?”

“Of course you can’t, children aren’t supposed to unbuckle their own car seats,” he teased, waving a finger at her.

“I’m serious, George! Why can’t I take this shit off?”

“I’m serious too, babe, it’s designed that way. You chose the Safety Plus Pro model, which has all of the anti-escape features built in. Amanda was explaining it all to us, didn’t you hear?”

“Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve bought one of the other models instead!” Kate exclaimed, thrashing in her seat.

“I tried to tell you, but you were on the phone and told me to just get the purple one.”

“I had to take a call you freaking idiot!”

The look on George’s face immediately made Kate regret her words. “I’m sorry,” she said, but it was too late.

The car fell to an uncomfortable silence. George’s expression went blank, and he turned back to driving.

Kate looked down, as far as the seat would allow her. She had seen the hurt look in George’s eyes, like an innocent puppy that had just been kicked.

The look had instantly shattered her anger, replacing it instead with guilt and sorrow. Kate buried her face in her hands.

I’m the idiot for not listening to the assistant as she explained the car seat. I’m the one who was busy calling my friend and then stood their on their phone while Amanda asked us if we had any questions. I’m the one who didn’t think to read the fucking descriptions. Why did I yell at him?

She wanted to say all of those things, to apologize to her boyfriend, but instead sat there. Neither of them speaking a word as their car slowly crawled through traffic.

Kate twisted and turned quietly in the straps. She was a little kid, being punished for her disobedience, caught redhanded while trying to escape.

She tugged at the straps, but their grip around her body never loosened. She pushed up with all her might, feeling them dig into her body, pinning her gently, but firmly in place.

In the end, she felt herself swinging her legs, twiddling her thumbs as she sat in her seat.

“I’m sorry.” When Kate eventually said it, it came out as little more than a whisper. “George babe, I’m sorry for being frustrated. It was my fault I didn’t pay attention to the features of the seat,” her voice shaky despite her best efforts.

There was a long pause. Would he forgive her? Was he still angry? She shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m sorry too, Kate.” George eventually said, “I should’ve made sure you knew about the additional security features before buying it. I thought you knew about them and still wanted it for the other features.”

“I honestly just liked it because of the purple and the table.”

“Well, I was being honest when I said it looks good on you.”

Kate stuck out her tongue, relief washing over her as she did so.

“I’m serious, you should take a look yourself, you look so adorable strapped in your seat.”

Kate pulled out her phone and turned on the camera. What she saw surprised her. Staring back at her was hardly an adult, but rather a young girl strapped into a massive car seat. It really didn’t help that she’d recently gotten bangs either.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at her mirrored self, she looked absolutely ridiculous, but at the same time, just a tiny bit cute.

With the tension over, the two continued with now lighthearted chatter. George covered all of the details about the seat she’d missed. Kate could hardly believe some of the them. Sure, it was a cool piece of technology, but at the same time, it was a bit scary. But George promised to leave the key in one of the seat’s many compartments, so that Kate could unlock herself in the future.

Some of the accessories were even scarier, but Kate made George promise to never get them.

“The stop is just up ahead, we can grab some coffee and let you stretch your legs.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

“You sure? You don’t even want your laptop and to get out of the seat?”

“Well, I actually feel okay now, it’s surprisingly comfy. And I can just relax on my phone for a bit or even take a nap. I could use a breather from work anyway.”

“Okay, that will probably save us a good fifteen minutes.”

“Good night baby, wake me up when we’re home.”

“Good night baby, sweet dreams.”

Kate rested her head against the soft pillow headrest. With the car seat’s soft padding surrounding her and the straps giving her a tight hug, Kate quickly fell into a deep sleep.

———

Samantha was jamming to music as she pulled up to her friend’s house.

“Yo girl, how’s it been, you excited for today?” she asked as her friend Chloe hopped onto the car.

“Same old same old, school’s just been so fricking boring, I really need this night out.”

“Well, I hope you’re ready, I heard Brianna and her boyfriend wanted a beer pong rematch.”

“Oh, they’re totally going down. Alright, what are we waiting for, let’s go!”

“Just waiting for you to fasten your seatbelt girl.”

“Wait, Sam, no way you’re really wearing the harness thingies right? They’re a joke!”

“Joke or not, they’re the law now, Chloe.”

“C’mon, gimme a break, seatbelts were already stupid enough, but this is going to another level. Once I graduate I’m moving the fuck out of this dumb country.”

“But it’s going to keep beeping until you buckle it.”

“Oh my naive little one, lemme show you a little trick,” Chloe said with a smirk. She turned around, buckling all of the straps in place behind her, before sitting back down. The beeping stopped. “See? No problems. This is literally what everyone’s doing, you’re like the first person I know that’s actually wearing the harness.”

Yeah because I don’t want to die. Samantha bit her lip, she knew Chloe had been having a hard month. Despite her outward appearance, the nasty breakup had been less than two months ago, and this had been the first time she’d been willing to come out of the house since. She really didn’t want to be the one to rain on that parade.

“Alright, you’re paying the fine if we get ticketed though.”

“Ya, ya, I gotchu, now let’s go!”

The two had a great time at the party, and although Sam had only a single drink early in the night, she had a lot of fun passing drinks to Chloe and watching her go wild. At the end of the night, Sam had to help Chloe stumble back to the car.

Even while drunk, Chloe still refused to fasten the harness. Not wanting to fight, Samantha simply left her slumped in the seat.

Samantha drove quickly, wanting to get home before her friend puked in her car. However, soon after exiting the freeway, she heard the wail of a siren from behind her.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she said, pulling the car over. “Quickly, buckle yourself in!” she whispered at Chloe, but her friend was too drunk to react.

The male officer knocked on the window.

“Do you know why I pulled you over, miss?”

Samantha shook her head.

“Well, you were going sixty-five in a fifty zone.”

“Sorry officer.”

“And… now that I’m here, I notice your friend there also isn’t buckled in properly. As you know, the new seatbelt law that mandates that all passengers must be wearing a harness at all times.”

“I’m sorry officer, she’s drunk, she must’ve taken it off without me noticing.”

“And re-fastened it behind her? You do know there’s a sound when it’s unbuckled while driving, right?” Samantha’s heart sank, she’d always been horrible at lying. “I’m going to need your ID and registration, as well as the ID of your friend there.” The officer took the documents and went back to his cruiser.

“I’m sorry,” Chloe said, finally awaking from her daze.

“It’s okay, it’s probably just going to be a ticket or something.”

The officer soon returned, and Sam rolled down the window again.

“Here is your IDs and registration back.”

“Thanks officer. Is there anything else?” Samantha asked, praying that she’d be left off with a warning.

“Yes in fact, I’m going to have to ask you both to step out of the car.”

“What for?” She asked, surprised.

“Your licence has been suspended, you’re going to need to leave your car here.”

“What?” Samantha unable to keep the bewilderment out of her voice.

“You kids these days really don’t read the rules that you’re breaking do you…” The officer sighed. “Anyone caught in violation of the harness laws automatically gets a thirty day suspension of their licence. Not only that, you’ll both need to use level-two harnesses for any mode of transportation for the next month.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Chloe exclaimed, suddenly awake from her drunken stupor, “She didn’t do anything wrong, it was me who didn’t wear the seatbelt.”

“But it was her car, and as the driver, she’s also responsible for your actions. The law is quite clear on this fact.”

“How are we supposed to get home?”

“Well, given the time, you’re unlikely to find an Uber with level two harnesses, so you can ask your parents for a ride, or I can give you a ride in my cruiser.”

Samantha agreed to go with the officer. The last thing she needed was for her parents to yell at her for waking them up at two in the morning.

She helped Chloe up, and the two stumbled over to the police car.

The officer helped them into the back, where he began helping Chloe with the straps while Samantha did hers up on her own.

Other than needing to adjust the harness to fit her, it seemed nearly identical to the one on her vehicle. Samantha wondered what he’d meant by level two harnesses.

After finishing with Chloe, the officer came by and checked the tightness on all of the straps. An action that irritated her slightly, but Samantha knew better than to say anything.

The ride home was silent. They pulled up to Chloe’s house first, where the officer came out back and helped Chloe to her feet, escorting her to her house.

As they walked to the door, Sam realized Chloe had left her phone in her purse.

She reached to unbuckle herself, but as she tried, she realized the buckles didn’t release when she pressed on it. She pushed harder, but the button was jammed.

She pulled at the car door, but realized that it didn’t open from the inside. Samantha struggled with the straps but couldn’t even manage to unbuckle the chest clip before the officer returned.

“You okay back there?” he asked, noticing her.

“My friend left her phone, I wanted to go give it back to her but the buckles are stuck or jammed, I can’t release them.

“You’re not supposed to, that’s the entire point of level two harnesses. I would drop it off now, but based on her parents’ reaction to her daughter coming home this late, I don’t think they’ll be too happy if I ring the doorbell again. You’ll have to give the phone back tomorrow.”

Sam gave up her struggles, and they were back on the road. However, curiosity soon got the better of her. “What did you mean by I’m not supposed to be able to take it off?”

“Level two harnesses are ones that must be monitored by a supervising adult, and cannot be removed by the wearer for safety reasons. They’re usually for kids with special needs, but they’re also used as a form of disciplinary action such as those who fail to comply by the new harness laws.”

“How am I supposed to get to school then?”

“You have three options. One, your parents can rent or buy a level two harness for you, and drop you off at school. Two, you can take a certified Uber. Or three, you can take public transport. Most of the busses are equipped with a few level two harnesses, so you’ll be able to use those.”

Sam had more questions, but they soon arrived at her home.

They pulled to a stop, but Sam didn’t even bother trying to touch her harness, instead resting her arms by her sides as the officer came around back and released her.

She thanked him, before sneaking back into the house. Thankfully her parents were sound asleep, and she quickly showered and got herself into bed, all the while thinking about how much trouble she was in for the next month.

***

Over the weekend, she studied up on the new car seat laws, and studied the details around her probation. The officer had been right, she realistically only had the three options.

But both of Sam’s parents worked full-time, and she knew it wouldn’t be reasonable for them to get up even earlier just to drop her off at her school which was a good forty-five minutes away. An Uber everyday was also certainly out of the question, she was nowhere near that rich.

With a sigh, she realized that meant she was relegated to the busses. Based on her research, each bus only had four level two seats, so she’d need to wake up extra early to make sure she got to school on time.

Monday morning rolled around, and Sam’s alarm went off at the ungodly hour of six AM. Had she mentioned she detested 8AM classes? Rushing through her morning routine she made it to her bus stop by six thirty.

Sam had stopped riding busses ever since she’d been able to afford a car with her odd jobs over the years. Sure, it was an old dusty Civic, but it was hers. Driving also saved nearly thirty minutes in transit every day, since the only direct line to her school took a couple of detours.

Luckily for Sam, the first bus had level two seats available. The busses had all been equipped with a new capacity indicator at the front, since standing was no longer permitted. The city had also increased the frequency of busses to make up for the lost space, on top of adding additional seating to the new busses.

Samantha hopped on, and as soon as she scanned her Langston ID card, which was also her bus pass, a red light flashed on the screen. Sam had read about it online, and knew what to expect.

“Miss, please take number one,” the driver pointed at one of the four spots directly behind him, all of which were currently empty. “Hannah there will help you get seated.”

Samantha quickly walked over to her seat, thankful the driver didn’t make any additional comment on her status. While most of the seats on the bus were a navy blue, the four she was heading to were a dark red, indicating their level two status.

“Hello there, let’s get you settled in.” The girl who was presumably Hannah had unbuckled herself and gotten up to guide her to her spot.

“Arms through here please,” she said, setting off to work immediately as she pulled the straps around her body.

The harness was not unlike the one installed in her vehicle, it was only a simple five point harness.

Reading online, there were only two main difference. Firstly, the chest clip had an additional strap that ran around the back of her head, which Hannah adjusted into position. This prevented the chest clip from being lowered and a passenger from slipping out the top.

More importantly, the buckles themselves were special. While they could be fastened normally, the buckles required a magnetic key to release.

This meant that in theory, Sam could sneak in a powerful enough magnet and release herself, but between the driver, Hannah, and all of the other passengers, she would certainly be caught immediately.

And getting caught meant the level three restrictions. While she’d only read up on it briefly, what she read had horrified her. So instead, Sam swallowed up her pride and simply sat in silence as Hannah finished securing her.

“When are you getting off?”

“Lindow University,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Lindow University,” she repeated louder, feeling her cheeks glow red. It was embarrassing enough to be strapped into a level two harness, it was worse to admit that she was an adult who clearly was being punished.

Thankfully, like the driver, Hannah was a professional, and if she found it weird, she didn’t show it. “Last stop, great. Just raise your hand and call out to me if you need anything. If you can give me your bag, I’ll help put it into the overhead storage.”

The bus soon began moving, the entire ordeal only took around thirty seconds. Sam resisted the urge to try the buckle, knowing that it was locked on all the same. Besides, she worried that if the driver or Hannah saw her fiddling with the straps, it might be seen as some sort of escape attempt or something. The last thing she needed was to risk any further punishment.

Instead, she decided to take a look at the new bus layout. She was seated by the window, right behind the driver. There was another red seat to her right and two in the row behind her.

Hannah was seated diagonally across the aisle from her, right by the doorway, in a special green seat. Hers, as well as the navy blue seats, had four point harnesses instead of the typical five point ones on her car. This made it easier to buckle and unbuckle.

The government website had explained that since busses moved slower and were generally safer, the requirements on harnesses were slightly lower than normal vehicles. Of course, this unfortunately meant her own five point harness stood out even more.

Matching her two rows of red seats were two rows of dark purple seats to her right. These seats were smaller, and had smaller harnesses, designed to fit younger children.

A few stops later, a little boy hopped into one of the purple seats directly across from her. His mother buckled him in before seating in a blue seat a few rows down.

The little boy looked at her, glancing up and down. Sam didn’t pay him much attention, turning to look out the window at the passing trees instead.

“Hi, I’m Michael, what’s your name?” the boy asked.

Realizing the question was directed at her, she replied with her name before turning back.

However the boy soon called out again. “Why are you in the red seats? My mom said the red seats are for naughty children. Are you naughty?”

The question caused Sam’s face to light up as she found herself inadvertently shifting in her seat.

“My mom says you can’t take off the red ones yourself. So they’re punishments for bad kids who take them off without permission. That’s why I never take mine off!” he stated proudly.

Couldn’t his mom have taught him to shut his mouth? Sam wanted nothing more than to get up and slap him. That would teach him to shut up. But the thought only made her more irritated as she realized even that was impossible with her safely fastened to her seat.

Fuck these stupid level two harnesses. If only Chloe had worn the stupid harness like she should have.

But deep down, she it was her fault. She could’ve just asked her to follow the rules. She could’ve just not sped and gotten pulled over in the first place. She’d brought these consequences upon herself.

The boy continued to talk, but thankfully, Sam was able to crank her music high enough to drown him out, and he eventually got bored with the one-way conversation.

When they finally reached the university, Hannah came over. She held an orange key against the front of the chest clip, which allowed her to depress it and release the straps. She repeated the same with the crotch buckle, and soon Sam was on her way out the door, glad that her first experience with the harness was behind her.

---

Thanks for reading!

Did you like seeing the world through many characters in a "collection of shorts" format? Would you like to learn more about Langston? Is there anything you'd like to learn more about this world? Would you like to see a part two? Let me know in the comments below! Also I am more than open to any critique, thoughts, and feedback!