And the Third Runner up is….

Leaving  Children Unattended in a Vehicle

This third most read post based on traffic from search engines is another critical issue: Not Even for a Minute: Children Left Unattended in Vehicles. It's interesting how many people search for whether it's acceptable to leave a child for just a minute in a vehicle. A number of people are looking for a specific state's law regarding this issue. One query stated, "received a ticket for leaving child unattended in car for less than one minute." I'm not sure what this person was searching for in running this search, but clearly it's an issue parents have on their minds.

Risks on Many Levels

I completely understand the convenience of leaving a sleeping baby or toddler in the car while quickly dropping off or picking up another child at school or daycare; or leaving them strapped into the their car seats to run in a grab a cup of coffee, pick up the dry cleaning or make a stop at the ATM, but it really isn't worth the risk. I also can understand the parent unintentionally leaving the child in a car for a great amount of time because the parent is sleep deprived, distracted by stress, work, or other issues or changes in his or her daily routine and simply does not remember the child is still in the car.

I can be very absent-minded myself, and the threat of this hazard has always scared me so much that I tend to look in the backseat and check car seats even when I know the kids are not with me. Not only are there dangers of hypothermia for many parts of the country at this time of year or hyperthermia in other areas and/or other times of the year, but there is also a risk of your vehicle, along with your child, being carjacked. In fact, here in the Twin Cities, just last week there was a parent who left his car running and unlocked with his child in the car seat in his driveway while he ran inside to get something he had forgotten. The trip inside and back outside took no more than 20 to 30 seconds, according to the parent, but when he got back outside his vehicle and child were gone. Fortunately, this story ended well, the child, still strapped into his car seat, was found 90 minutes later, unharmed.

Odd Searches

While there are numerous searches for this somber topic, most are to the point and not humorous at all, as they should be. But there are some random queries that landed on various pages that are quite interesting; some that I feel quite certain the person searching did not find what he or she was looking for on Motherly Law, but perhaps the person still found something of interest.*:

1. "hot tub girl"
2. "don't take it personal when I delete you"
3. "effective decision making in weddings"
4. "bed wrestling tips"
5. "best way to end a marriage"
6. "different social rules after drinking"
7. "what to do if your eye gets burnt with fireworks"
8. "what not to accept from strangers"
9. "what states can you have alcohol delivered to your home"
10. "unintended nudes in college"

This last one I really don't understand, but to each, his own.

The Scoop

On Thursday, I'll be posting the 4^th runner-up and on Friday, I will be answering some of the questions posed in searches. Over and out….

Anna

*Again, if you find one of your searches listed, please don't be offended and try to find the humor in it. I'm sure many of my own queries don't make sense.

Other related posts you might also like:



There but for the Grace of God, Go I: Tips and Websites for Keeping Your Child Safe In and Around Vehicles

The Hope of Evolving: Laws Concerning Booster Car Seats

The Days Keep On Rolling: Great Websites for Getting the Best Fit for Your Child’s Car Seat

Comments

[emily bilbrey]

i'm really glad to see a post directly discouraging leaving children in a car - thank you for putting this out there! it seems so perfectly common sense but it was only a couple of months ago that, while out with my toddler daughter i came across 2 young children left alone in a mini van. i called the police & before they had a chance to arrive, the mother came back (she had been gone 10 minutes since i found the car.) upon my asking, she told me that her kids were 2 years & 6 months old. when i explained that leaving kids that age alone in a car, she scoffed at me and told me it was fine. when i told her someone could steal the car, or her kids could choke or be otherwise hurt in her absence, she told me "i locked the doors. my kids are perfectly fine. thanks for your concern" and sped away...

the police arrived a couple of minutes later, and after getting the plate number for me, did take off to see if they could track her down (the 6 month old was in a forward-facing toddler car seat & the 2 year old did not have a carseat & wasn't belted.) i mention that because apparently in washington state, it is ONLY illegal to leave your kids unattended in a car if the car is actually running, or if there are extreme temperatures. so technically what she did was perfectly legal within the law, other than the car seat issues. seems so crazy to me, but apparently it's the sad truth...

i don't even leave my daughter in the car to go 10 feet away - nor would i even risk standing outside the car with it running while talking. i don't take ANY chances, and i hope people become more diligent about this issue as time goes on.

cheers!

[Anna]

Emily

I appreciate your steadfast loyalty to child safety issues. I get so many searches for this issue. I am amazed how many times this post continues to be read. I only hope that it can save the life of at least one child by educating parents and caregivers of the dangers of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle regardless of the amount of time or temperature or location.
Thanks, Anna