Babytalk | Never leave your child alone in a parked car
The unthinkable can happen in an instant. Scenario: your baby is asleep in the car seat. You want to run into a store to buy one item. Rather than take the car seat out of the car, they are heavy, you leave the car running with the air on. You think you will only be in the store for a minute or two. You run into an old friend and you start talking. Next thing you know it has been several minutes, more time than you thought you would be in the store.
You come out and your car is not where you parked.
Last month, February 2021, KidsAndCars.org documented 17 such incidents. So scary!
The thieves responsible for these thefts many times are not aware there is a child in the car. They are just looking for unattended vehicles with engines running or vehicles that have keys laying around. Children should never be left alone in a vehicle. The good news is most of these children and their families did not suffer physical damage. However there was a 13 year old girl in Wichita, Kans., who was dragged to death trying to escape when the vehicle she was in, was stolen.
The bad/sad news is many of these families suffer emotional trauma, which may last for years. The other consequence is that these incidents result in Amber alerts. These alerts lead to extensive search operations.
In 2018, the website quotes stats from the FBI stating, 748,841 vehicles were stolen in the United States. This cost owners more than $6 billion. One search in Memphis, Tennessee for a missing baby ended up costing $71,000.
In the state of Florida if you leave a child, under 6 years of age, in a car “unattended or unsupervised for longer than 15 minutes or for any period of time that results in great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement to the child,” this is deemed a first degree misdemeanor. It is punishable by up to one year in jail, one year of probation and a $1000 fine. If a child suffers bodily harm, it is punishable up to five years in prison, five years’ probation, and a $5000 fine.
Never leave a child alone in a vehicle even for a minute. If you see a child alone, get involved and call 911. If they are in distress, get them out of the car. Utilize drive-through and curb-side pick-up services now offered by many businesses. Always remember a running vehicle can be driven away by anyone.
This is a tragedy that never need happen.
Be safe not sorry. As cumbersome as a car seat might be, your child is always safer with you.
Katie Powers, R.N., is a board-certified lactation consultant and perinatal educator at Manatee Memorial Hospital’s Family BirthPlace. Her column appears every other week in Healthy Living in the Bradenton Herald. Contact her at katie.powers@mmhhs.com.