Hot Car Act

[Kitty 34]

I guess it's a subject we'll have to "agree to disagree" on.

Call me elitist, call me someone who thinks they're a perfect parent, think of me what you will, but I can assure you that leaving my child in a hot car is something that never came remotely close to happening to me, and never in a million years would. It just wouldn't. You can also call me judgmental, I can live with that, but just IMO no matter how much a parent loves their child if they leave them in the back of a hot car and they die, you just won't get me to say "Oh, they were a good parent". Sorry, I won't. There's no excuse. None.

I'll be the first to say I'm not a "perfect" parent, though I'm not ashamed to say I think I'm pretty good. I'm sure I've made mistakes, but leaving them in a hot car simply isn't and never would be one of them.

At the end of the day, like I said before, I'm not morally opposed to putting the system in the cars...the technology is already in the vehicle anyway, so why not. But the concept of someone doing that is far beyond my grasp and far beyond what I'd say is just a bad mistake by a good parent.

This.

 

[awalker1015]

A lot of sanctimoniousness on this thread. Thankfully I've never experienced this but someone I know did back in 2009. She was an excellent parent. A slight deviation in the morning routine and she forgot her son was in the backseat. Yes, he died. It was the most heart wrenching thing I have witnessed. And while I'm thankful I've never had this happen I know I'm not immune to it. My passenger seat dings if my purse is sitting on it without an seatbelt. What's the big deal of adding that feature to a backseat???

 

[kimblebee]

So take your shirt off and put it with the child. Or your coat, or your work keys, or your pants. The idea is to put something you'd need when you get out of the car.

Some would argue that your kid should be enough..not that you'd have to put something you 'need' in the back too.

 

[dish rag]

Some would argue that your kid should be enough..not that you'd have to put something you 'need' in the back too.

It's very difficult for me to understand how one could forget their child. I'm not sure an animal in the wild would forget it's offspring.

 

[sam_gordon]

Some would argue that your kid should be enough..not that you'd have to put something you 'need' in the back too.

The key word is "should". I don't disagree. However, I understand how busy my mind is and how I often think about 3-4 things and how I can easily get sidetracked. Fortunately, I never came close to leaving one of my kids in a car, but I'd never say "it could never happen to me".

 

[sam_gordon]

It's very difficult for me to understand how one could forget their child. I'm not sure an animal in the wild would forget it's offspring.

Do you think for one second that any of the parents who have done this thought any different?

 

[declansdad]

It's very difficult for me to understand how one could forget their child. I'm not sure an animal in the wild would forget it's offspring.

So in your world you couldn't accidentally lock the door when getting out of the car?

 

[AppleDumpling]

This thread got me thinking about this issue. We always hear about kids left in hot cars but what about when it happens in cold weather? It doesn't seem to happen as often, but a forgotten child freezing to death is obviously just as tragic. I wonder if there are statistically fewer fatalities, but I have heard of kids left in cars in very low temps for hours, even overnight, who have suffered at least frostbite and hypothermia.

Anyway, just a thought I had, obviously an alarm would prevent that danger as well. Maybe the title of the proposed legislation should be renamed to include abandonment of children in cars at any time, in any condition.

 

[dish rag]

So in your world you couldn't accidentally lock the door when getting out of the car?

Actually that's tough to do in my car. But any way for me there is a huge difference between that and ones child being left. How could any normal parent forget and leave their child in the car, the child should be their first thought. Luckily it's an extremely rare occurrence.

 

[Kaytie]

The idea behind this is well intended but I'm not sure I agree with a law requiring it. A couple of thoughts, how much will this add to the cost of vehicles? Vehicles that are already expensive. What about like previously posted packages placed in the back seat, can it simply be turned off? My sinical side questions whether some of these so called accidents are accidents? A law never gets undone once in place so I default to not creating more laws.
I'll have to think on this a little more.

Probably, but if the back seat alarm goes off, you look in the back seat. Packages only? Shut the door and walk away.

 

[lifesavacation]

It seems like it would be fairly inexpensive to add the technology to new cars. I don't believe I would ever forget my kids in a car, but I also believe that good parents can have a moment of inattentiveness or have a lapse in judgment that leads to a terrible tragedy. If the technology is readily available, I'm all for added safety measures.

There was a story in our local paper the other day about a couple who left their infant in a car while they went inside a restaurant to eat. Apparently, their little one gets cranky when woken up early from a nap so they thought it would be better to leave him in a car on an 80 degree day. Some parents really are negligent.

 

[mummabear]

Law makers want to pass a law requiring car manufacturers to install a device to remind the driver, usually a parent that their child is in the back seat. How could someone forget their child is in the back seat and why should car manufactures be required to remind them. Well as we know people do forget. About as silly as having to tell people eye drops are not for oral use but for the eyes and other similar precautions. Sometimes you just have to wonder what in the world is going on with people.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11460213

Well that read about this case, a surgeon who was meant to drop her child to daycare on the way to work, it wasn't normally her routine to do this. Complex surgery on her mind, child went to sleep, mom went on autopilot and forgot daycare.

 

[mjkacmom]

Actually that's tough to do in my car. But any way for me there is a huge difference between that and ones child being left. How could any normal parent forget and leave their child in the car, the child should be their first thought. Luckily it's an extremely rare occurrence.

Did you read any articles on the subject? Or are they too long.

 

[CarolAnn856]

Actually that's tough to do in my car. But any way for me there is a huge difference between that and ones child being left. How could any normal parent forget and leave their child in the car, the child should be their first thought. Luckily it's an extremely rare occurrence.

So, about 38 dead children a year is a rate you are comfortable with, when the technology to prevent many of these deaths is readily available?

 

[declansdad]

Actually that's tough to do in my car. But any way for me there is a huge difference between that and ones child being left. How could any normal parent forget and leave their child in the car, the child should be their first thought. Luckily it's an extremely rare occurrence.

Everyone is not like you and your car.

 

[luvsJack]

Actually that's tough to do in my car. But any way for me there is a huge difference between that and ones child being left. How could any normal parent forget and leave their child in the car, the child should be their first thought. Luckily it's an extremely rare occurrence.

In a perfect world anyone's child would be their first thought 24/7. But it's not a perfect world and there are no perfect parents.

 

[dish rag]

In a perfect world anyone's child would be their first thought 24/7. But it's not a perfect world and there are no perfect parents.

That's right. And accidents happen. I guess even forgetting a child as crazy as that sounds. But for how many children a year are put into a back seat and successfully retrieved the number is not even a blip on the radar. So where does it stop? Steel cages to help people cross the street? Pools only allowed 2 inches of water? No more hiking lest a wild animal attack? Laws and fines for being out in a lightning storm? How about no more children in the ocean. It goes on and on and on. The least of which is thinking it's acceptable that a parent could forget their child. You can see how a parent could forget, I can't.

 

[DaisyJ]

No, not everyone deliberately forgets their children in the car. But some do. No amount of safety features will prevent something like that.

http://people.com/crime/amanda-hawkins-leaves-daughters-in-hot-car/

 

[mjkacmom]

No, not everyone deliberately forgets their children in the car. But some do. No amount of safety features will prevent something like that.

http://people.com/crime/amanda-hawkins-leaves-daughters-in-hot-car/

I'd call that manslaughter.

 

[declansdad]

That's right. And accidents happen. I guess even forgetting a child as crazy as that sounds. But for how many children a year are put into a back seat and successfully retrieved the number is not even a blip on the radar. So where does it stop? Steel cages to help people cross the street? Pools only allowed 2 inches of water? No more hiking lest a wild animal attack? Laws and fines for being out in a lightning storm? How about no more children in the ocean. It goes on and on and on. The least of which is thinking it's acceptable that a parent could forget their child. You can see how a parent could forget, I can't.

So how many would have to die before you would consider it a problem in your world?