Police Officer Gives Mother Traffic Tickets Then Asks Her To Follow Him As He Spots Her Son In The Backseat

Nov 09, 2021 by apost team

Getting pulled over for a traffic violation is never fun. However, for one mother, getting a few traffic tickets also meant receiving some goodwill. Niya Sumter was pulled over in Atlanta County, Mississippi, in 2020, and she knew the tickets were coming. What she didn't know was that the officer who pulled her over had a generous heart. When Officer Bradley Sanders saw Sumter's son in the wrong size car seat, he asked her to follow him.

After Sanders pulled over a mother driving with her young son, he was moved to help the family. He went back to his car after seeing the young boy in the back in a car seat that was too big for him. As he was writing out the citations, Sanders received a call from his wife, which led him to take Sumter to Walmart so he could buy her the correct size car seat for her son. 

Sanders said that the mother was not bothered by the stop and knew it was legitimate but added that she was doing her best with the car seat that she had. Sumter was incredibly grateful for the new car seat, as it meant that her son would now be safer on the road. In a photo from the trip to the store, Sumter's son is seen sitting in the shopping cart looking thrilled next to the new car seat. 

Sumter shared the experience on her Facebook page, and it attracted the attention of local news stations. The post has spread a positive message of doing the right thing and helping others when you are in a position to do so. Keep reading to learn more about this touching story.

After receiving three tickets, Sumter got the surprise of her life when the officer offered to buy her son a new car seat. According to WAPT News, the mother shared the story on Facebook, writing, "Can I say how good God is? … After giving me my tickets, he said, 'Follow me. Let's go buy your baby a car seat.'"

It wasn't that the boy didn't have a car seat. However, it was the wrong size, which can be unsafe while driving on busy streets. 

"He was buckled in, but he wasn't in the proper car seat, and he was able to freely move around," Sanders said. The officer understood that Sumter wanted her son to be safe but couldn't afford the correct seat.

There was no ill will between the officer and the mother. Sanders explained, "She was very grateful. She was saying, 'Thank you,' and she understood that the traffic stop was legitimate. She had no issue with what was going on. She did state she was trying to do the best she could with her son being in the car seat that he was in."

Sanders said that the reason he became a police officer was to help people, and that is exactly what he did that day when he provided a safe car seat for Sumter's son. 

"Overwhelmingly, there are great cops out there. Are there a few bad apples out there? I am sure. But most of us got into this profession to help people, as I did myself. I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. I wanted to help,” Sanders told WAPT News.

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Beyond making a difference in Sumter’s life, Sanders’ good deed has also brightened plenty of readers’ days.

“It truly goes to show there are some good cops out there and this officer is truly one of them!” an apost.com reader commented. “Thank you officer for caring about someone else's child! Your big heart will go a very long way!”

“Bless that officer!!!” another reader wrote.

While car seats are widely used in the U.S., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 59% of them are not installed correctly. What’s more, auto accidents are a leading cause of death for children 12 and younger. 

“Parents and care givers can be the first line of defense by ensuring their children are correctly secured in the right seat for their size and age, and by buckling up themselves,” said Anthony R. Foxx, the transportation secretary at the United States Transportation Department, in an interview with The New York Times.

But properly sizing and installing a car seat is often a complicated and confusing process. Part of the problem is that car manufacturers are secretive about their future designs. On the other hand, there are so many different types of car seats that it's difficult for auto companies to accommodate the many seats on the market. In other words, both industries are at fault, and better communication between the two would lead to a more streamlined installation process.

Luckily, organizations like Safe Kids Worldwide host inspection events, which allow parents to bring in their vehicles to make sure they’ve properly installed their car seats.

What do you think of this story of giving? Does it inspire you to help others as well? Let us know your thoughts and feel free to pass this story on to the loved ones in your life.