Have you ever seen a child/children left alone in a car? Did you do anything about it?
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Yes. When I was in high school my mom and I saw two kids (ages maybe 2 and 4?) alone in the parking lot of a strip mall. In summer. My mom called the police. (Go mom).
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This woman left her infant in the parking lot while she was shopping. My managers went out there called the cops and had the police waiting for her when she came out. She didn't think she did anything wrong
Eta: it was a hot day and the car was not in any shade
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It was so common back in the day. Now I will leave LO in the car if I have to run into a gas station really quickly and I can see the car at all times. Also as long as its not hot out. I would never ever leave her to do some casual shopping.
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It was very common when I was young, and still is semi-common around here. However, it's mostly at quick-stop places where I'd see kids in the car (gas station, grocery pharmacy runs, etc). I usually time myself in there and see if they're still there when I get out, and check out the temp, etc.
I'll never do it, though. With the heat/cold issues, stranger/abduction issues, and the fact that my siblings and I backed our truck into a building when we were left unattended, I am sooooo not about to take that risk.
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@indi: My parents didn't leave my brother in the car or anything but your story reminded me of when my ten year old brother at the time (he is three years older) took the car for a joy ride with my cousin..not a very good situation.especially when my parents thought the car was stolen and went to report it. ( My brother was suppose to be at a friend's house two doors down)
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No, thankfully. I would call the police immediately if I were to see a child alone in the car.
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No but after all the stories I've read of how quickly babies can overheat in a car, I would have absolutely zero hesitation in calling the police. Leaving your baby to pay for petrol (we don't have pay at the pump in Australia for some crazy reason) is one thing, albeit not a choice I would make, but a child left in an unattended car out of the view of the caregiver - unacceptable.
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I actually parked next to a mom who left her two toddlers in the car and left it running. She BOLTED into the trader joe's, grabbed something, and bolted out. I didn't call the police or anything, but I watched to see that she wasn't doing a leisurely grocery trip. The car was on and everything and the kids were happily watching a dvd.
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I personally knew a baby who was accidentally left in a hot car and died. I call the cops when I see kids left in cars and I stay there til the cops arrive. My tolerance for it is zero.
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I leave my 11 year old in the locked car when I'm running in for a couple items. I would not ever even think about leaving my toddler or infant. It's a pain to get them out but I would never be able to forgive myself if something went wrong. It's a very selfish choice those parents make.
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My mum once called the police for an unattended toddler locked in a car with a butcher's knife...
I have left my LO in the car when paying for gas but that's about it.
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@blackbird: if the car was running, couldn't someone have driven the car away?
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@Kemma: a butchers knife!? what the what...
like a few PP who live in lands of no-pre-pay-pumps-at-gas-stations, I have left LO in the car while paying for petrol. i see it happen a lot here.
if I saw it at somewhere like a supermarket? i would probably call someone.
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@Lindsay05: Yeah I don't really think the gas station could count. I definitely don't pull LO out of his carseat and put him back in for the 30 second walk in and our of the gas station. But I lock the doors and keep an eye on the car.
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@mrbee, Not if it had remote start.
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@blackbird: Man the world is changing... I haven't had a car in 15 years, and got into a newish rental car the other day and realized I had no idea how to start it.
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@mrbee, hahahaha. It's pretty neat what they're doing to cars!
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I've left LO in the car when running into the dry cleaners. I have one of those cars with a keyless remote. I can leave the car running and the doors locked, so the AC or heat stays on. The dry cleaners storefront is all windows and I park right outside the door. I can see LO the whole time. Plus, I wait until there is no inside so I'll be helped immediately. I've only done it twice, when I had too much stuff to carry him and the clothes, but I felt confident that he was safe. I would never let him out of my sight or leave him in a hot/cold car!
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If I'm getting gas or visiting DH at work (he works at the local gas station) I'll leave LO in the car, provided he's sleeping, as long as I can see the car. I wouldn't leave him to run into a building where I wouldn't have a constant view of him, though.
If I saw that someone left a child in the car in a parking lot or something, I would call the police. With all the things that could go wrong, there's also the possibility like a PP mentioned that the parent could have forgotten the child was in the car. I've heard too many stories of parents going off routine and forgetting their baby in the backseat since they don't usually have them to take a chance like that.
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@StbHisMrs: This begs the question, what do people consider the cut off for leaving a child alone in a car while you go inside. I know at 10 I was frequently left in the car if I didn't want to go shopping.
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I would absolutely call the police, I don't care if it's "just for a second," "the car is running with AC," etc. leaving a child alone in the car for any period of time is not ok in my book.
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@ZombieBullfrogHoller: i can't remember what age I started staying alone, I want to say sixth grade so 11-12. My son is in sixth grade, he's very intelligent and I leave my phone with him incase of emergency. Here's what I found which pertains to the state I live in.
“14A.80.040 Unattended Minors in Vehicles.
It is unlawful for any person having the care and custody of a minor under 6 years of age to leave the minor unattended in a locked vehicle, or to leave the minor unattended in an unlocked vehicle for more than 15 minutes. A minor is unattended within the meaning of this Section if the oldest person with the minor is under the age of 10 years.” -
I called 911 once when I saw a baby in an infant seat in the car with all the windows rolled up on a summer day. I waited in the parking lot about 5 minutes before making the call and it felt like the longest 5 minutes of my life.
I've also called once for a dog left in the car. I don't know how long it had been in there but poor thing looked like it was in obvious distress.
In my opinion it's better safe than sorry. DH is a cop. He'd much, much rather respond to the call and deal with an angry parent with a broken car window and a safe baby than have to respond to a call with a dead baby in a car.
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@BabyMats: what the FUCKITY fuck?!? An infant and she thought she did nothing wrong?
I'd probably only leave a child who was old bough to open the door and leave if need be (overheating). But the again, I don't think I could ever be gone in the heat or long enough or without keeping the car on (remote start). Meh.
They would have to be like 10 and even then I would have to be running into a gas station or something. -
@TurtleDoves: yup..it pissed all of us off.
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My concern with running inside for a second is, what if something happened to you? Fainting, tripped fell and passed out, etc... And no one knew your kids were in the car?
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@grizz:
This is what is horrible! I would totally evaluate the situation, wait at the car, and call the cops and/or if it were a supermarket, go have them make an announcement for the parent to come out.
I once was at the gas station where a dad left a toddler in the car, with the engine on, while getting gas. And the toddler was climbing over the seats. I just watched for the kid's safety. When I told the dad (when he came back) that he shouldn't leave the engine running, I got cursed and yelled at for several minutes, even as he was driving off.
It's sad how some people don't think about the consequences.
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As much of a PITA as it is to take them in and out, I don't leave mine in the car alone, no matter how quick or close the errand. I try hard to plan errands around naps, and just sit in the car and read if I have to wait a nap out.
Every year there is a handful of infants and toddlers that overheat in cars here locally, I wouldn't hesitate to call the police over a child or an animal. I have called over several dogs in the past, but never noticed any children. I've seen the effects of overheated dogs all too many times at work, the results are truly horrific.
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@mrbee: I recently saw kids left in the car with the keys in the ignition. My same thought was that someone could drive off with the kids! I alerted the store manager to call the authorities since you can get a hold of them quicker on a landline than a cell.
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I'd call the cops.
The only times I wouldn't is at our local dry cleaners (the parking is like 30-50 ft from the drop off/pick up... and at gas stations.
Though, I think most ppl pay with CCs nowadays around here and I usually see them right by their cars.
This is what is horrible! Reply
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30 comments