I am writing to express my concern with the picture appearing in your paper on Nov. 14. It was a picture of a father holding his 1-year-old son while driving a tractor on uneven terrain. What will it take for the Watertown Daily Times to show some restraint and stop publishing pictures that show dangerous situations and portray them as "cute" ("Daddy's Little Helper")?

Why does your paper show a baby in a precarious situation on a dangerous farm vehicle? One false move and the baby could slip and fall out of his father's arms.

After a quick search online, I found the following information that your readers may find interesting and informative.

Charles Jennissen, M.D., director of pediatric emergency medicine at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about farm safety: "I would also like to encourage all farm families to adopt a strict 'no rider' rule. Fifty percent of tractor-related deaths involve extra riders. Despite this, a survey of Successful Farming magazine readers showed nearly all allow their children to ride on a tractor with them. Parents perceive less risk when they feel in control and probably feel a false sense of security having a child on a tractor with them. But, in fact, most fatalities result from a child falling off the tractor with their parent driving. A strict no-rider rule may challenge years of farm tradition but certainly provides a greater likelihood that it will continue on into the future."

P.D. Ayers, Colorado State University: "Annually, 300 to 400 tractor-related deaths occur on U.S. farms. Over 50 percent of tractor-related deaths are caused by tractor rollovers. A roll bar or rollover protective structure and seat belt usage could have prevented all of these deaths. Other fatalities include falls, runovers, crushes and PTO entanglement. Keep small children away from tractors. Tractors are designed to carry only one person — the driver. Each year small children are killed by falling from the tractor. Their chance of being killed is just as great when they are allowed to ride on trailing equipment."

I would ask that your photographers refrain from taking and submitting photographs such as this one. And, I would ask that the editors of this newspaper take a stand and decide to stop printing such pictures.

Jean Eades

Watertown