This baffles me. I know it's cold outside but some people do this all year long. They leave their car right outside the building, grab their kids and go inside. With the car running! Maybe I'm paranoid but I would be worried the whole time I was in there that someone would steal my car. I always turn it off and lock it before going in...
Do you or other parents leave their cars running during daycare drop-off?
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
Some parents do, especially in the winter. It drives me crazy because you're not supposed to, but people do it anyway. I would never do it, even if it was allowed, because I'm paranoid!
But maybe these people have two keys? Leave in the car to leave it running, but lock it with the other key? I still wouldn't do it though...
eggplant / 11716 posts
Some people do, but I assume they have remote auto starters, so their car is locked while they go inside. Ppl also do it at gas stations here, when they go inside.
eggplant / 11824 posts
People don't because our daycare is ON YOU immediately if you do. We have a lot of crunchy parents who bitch to the director about how the exhaust fumes are poisoning their children, so yeah, she cracks down hard on people who do this.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
No, but drop off sometimes takes more than a minute....
The neighborhood T's school is in is in like the least crime area possible, but I guess anything can happen.
@yoursilverlining: hahah gotta love our state.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
Yep, we live in MI, I see it a lot during the winter and sometimes even hot days in summer. But I assume everyone has remote start like me. I do it on cold, cold days.
cherry / 121 posts
no, they are super strict about it. I'd much rather see them go after the people who take up like 3 cars worth of space and spend forever chatting - who wants to lug a child a mile?
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
I haven't seen that, and we don't do it b/c we're inside for a while to drop-off.
grapefruit / 4545 posts
I do it on cold days...but only on pick up. Like @mrsjyw: we're in Michigan so its not uncommon in the winter.
I park right in front of the newborn room - it would be a bold maneuver for someone to steal a car from our lot. I only do it when I go to get K bc I want the car warm when I bring her out and take her coat off to buckle her into her seat!
nectarine / 2951 posts
Yes! I think it's crazy. I've had a locked car stolen before, so i would never, NEVER do this. I also see people do this when they run in to get coffee and other small errands. I'm just not that trusting.
watermelon / 14467 posts
Some people do and it drives me nuts. It's so bad for the environment and parents are never in there long enough for the car to get ice cold. Plus there was a break-in recently in our parking lot, so you would think that people would quit doing it, but no.
nectarine / 2173 posts
Nope, never seen that. You also can't see the lot from in our daycare so I think it'd be especially bad.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
Yup! A majority of the parents do it at ours, but we go to an in-home daycare. I have a fully electric car so no exhaust fumes and it auto locks when I step away from the vehicle. In the summer, it gets ridiculously hot so even a quick run into the facility to pick up your kid and walk back out, your car easily reaches over 100 degrees with a quickness.
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
Not often. If it's really cold or extremely hot I will use my remote start with doors locked. I get hives from the cold, even in short duration, so I really prefer to keep my car warm. But I don't do it often.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I would be worried that somehow, the car would move out of the park position and goodness, I can't even think about it.
grapefruit / 4187 posts
I did it this morning! It was 15 degrees outside and my car was covered in ice (I could see fine out the window though). My daycare is in a church and the parking lot is in the back in a very safe residential area. Parents with school age kids regularly leave the older kids in the car with the engine on too!
clementine / 806 posts
nope! I'm guessing partly because I live in Texas, but mostly because day care parking lots here are huge targets for smash and grab theft. I can't imagine leaving your car running! (From the comments, it sounds like some people can leave it running and locked....but still...)
pomegranate / 3272 posts
We got a notice that there has been a few daycare robberies in the surrounding areas so that we should always lock our cars. Honestly, if I keep my car running, it's b/c I have a remote start and can lock it and turn it on while walking in the door.
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
Some parents do, but I can't do that. I'm too paranoid about either locking my keys in the car, or someone stealing my stuff/car.
nectarine / 2932 posts
LOL, I do it all the time (while parking in a spot - we don't have a drop off lane or anything).
ETA: I have key pad on my car so the car is on and running but I lock it from the outside. Just put my pin in to get back in.
honeydew / 7917 posts
I don't notice it at my LO's school. There are signs in the parking lot that say no idling.
pomegranate / 3355 posts
I do. But we are at an in home daycare in our neighborhood. So it's in her driveway. I never even think twice about.. until now.. LOL..
persimmon / 1043 posts
No, but I live in CA. Our parking area is pretty secure in that you need a key card to drive thru but I've never seen a parent leave the car running. I do leave my purse in plain sight pretty often though, oops.
grapefruit / 4717 posts
That's insane. I don't think people do that at LO's school?? I know that personally, I turn off the car, lock it, and go in with him.
pomelo / 5298 posts
I do sometimes. I have remote start on my car. I have the keys with me and the car cannot be put in gear. I do it more at pickup to keep the car temperate.
I've been a victim of a daycare car break in. I'm very cautious with what I leave in my car. If they want to break a window to steal my running car they won't get far.
pomelo / 5298 posts
@mauxie: please don't leave your purse in plain view. I did and it sucked. From the damage done, the pain of changing my financial footprint and identity theft showing up after 9 months to the tune of $9,000 in checks being cashed. It sucked. Daycare a are targets by these fools.
cherry / 189 posts
there are one or two that do it at our daycare - sometimes they leave their school aged child in the car too. i find both of those things odd. i don't typically lock my car, but i at least turn it off and take my keys with me.
pomegranate / 3658 posts
I doubt anybody does it at our daycare (DH does dropoff/pickup so I wouldn't know) but it isn't really that surprising to me. Where I grew up, it was commonplace to start your car 10 minutes before you left the house so the windows could defog. I'm sure there was a risk in leaving it running unattended every single morning, but everybody did it. Otherwise you would be sitting there for ten minutes in the car until it defrosted. Where I live now, though, it doesn't really get that cold so that defrost time isn't necessary. (Plus we keep our car in a garage.)
pineapple / 12053 posts
no and i've never seen it. it takes a while to walk in, get the kids sign in and drop them off. it's not a 1 minute process.
pomegranate / 3863 posts
I haven't noticed but I probably wouldn't hesitate to remote start my car to keep it warm in the cold months here in NE. Pick-ups for us are never quick! I would never let my car run with the keys in in the ignition.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
Never seen it. I wouldn't do it. LO room is in the back so it takes longer to get in and out. I always bring my handbag in. Her last day care, a parent's car was broken into in the 5 mins they were inside dropping off.
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
Some parents do, but I'm a "turn off and lock the door" mom. But lately we've been turning the car on in the morning in our driveway before we leave to let it warm up. I'm too freezing to worry about it being stolen, ha!
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
Pretty much everyone does if it's -20C or below. It's the same thing as command start which is a a staple in my part of the country!
coconut / 8472 posts
There were signs up at our old daycare to not do it, but our new daycare shares a parking lot with other businesses. So I have no idea who's car is a daycare parent. I do occasionally see them running. I'm usually in and out quickly, so I don't bother leaving it on or using the remote start.
pineapple / 12234 posts
A parent at my son's preschool use to do it but she had a remote start.
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