That wasnt the prius that started it all, thats like the 4 or 5th version. Second it was 420am according to the clock, up early arent they? 3rd, the child needed to be in the rear according to everything we know about vehicles with air bags and depending on the state he may of been required to use a child seat. Yes, small children are required to use one seat in the back, babies are required to use another and ride backwards in the rear seating section.
Even though it looked like a prius commercial, not sure why they threw in the eco modder unless they wanted to further enforce how great a new car is over a old civic.