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My state's law says I'm allowed to leave children under 6 in the car unattended if the car is within sight.
Quote:
A person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle may not permit a child under six years of age to remain unattended in the vehicle when the motor vehicle is out of the person's sight and under circumstances which endanger the health, safety or welfare of the child.
"When there are conditions that present a significant risk"
"When the engine is running or the keys are in the ignition"
"for more than 10 minutes", etc, etc.
I live in California, so I checked the CA laws. You cannot leave a child unattended under "conditions that present a significant risk to the child's health or safety" or with the engine running and/or keys in the ignition.
The first part is somewhat ambiguous, but the second is not. I don't think there is anyone, anywhere, who would say it is safe to leave a child alone in a car with the engine running. As I've said before, very few people would steal your child--but a lot of people would steal your car if given the chance, and they just might jump in and drive off without checking to see who might be in the back seat.
As for "conditions that present a significant risk to health or safety"--well, there we obviously have room for interpretation. I now know that some parents would consider my briefly getting out of the car to make an ATM deposit a significant risk to my child's health or safety, but the police and CPS would probably not.
The laws are so varied. Some of them are ambiguous. Some are very specific. Some are strange.
You're allowed to do it in Florida for 15 minutes even if the car isn't in sight as long as the car isn't running and the child's health isn't in danger.
In Connecticut, it's a greater offense if it's after 8pm.
You get 5 minutes in Hawaii.
It's only illegal in Kentucky if the child dies.
Missouri's is only if the child causes an injury or death to another person via collision. No mention of the child's safety.
1) Van in sight entire time
2) Safe neighborhood
3) Temperature moderate
4) Child not eating or drinking anything
5) Young children in carseats
6) Doors locked, windows up (unless in our own private driveway, at the top of a hill)
7) 2 minutes or less
Situations I have done this:
1) Preschool drop-off for another child
2) Pay a bill in a retail establishment (dance studio, in this case)
3) Kids are all asleep, and I'm carrying one of them into the house at a time. I will leave the others in the van and come back for them after I deposit sleeping child into bed. Actually I guess the vehicle is out of sight for this one, when I'm inside our own home.
4) Grabbing keys or dropping off something at husband's office
5) Picking up items from somebody's house, purchased through a FB swap site (porch pick-ups, don't enter their homes)
6) Grab a soda inside a convenience store after buying gas
There are probably others.
My state does not have any specific laws in regards to this issue.
For all of the "it's child endangerment!!!" posters, did you co-sleep with your children until age 10? (Or whenever you would be OK leaving them in a car for one minute?) Because I would say that leaving them unattended in a bedroom overnight (10-12 whole hours!!!) is just as "risky" as leaving them in a car for one minute. They could crawl out of bed/the crib and get tangled up in an electrical cord or knock over a bookshelf, they could be taken by a very quiet abductor, they could stop breathing, and so on...
You took the words right out of my mouth, this is exactly what I was planning to ask the 'I never' crowd.
Kidnappings of kids out of their bedrooms at night is actually fairly widespread. We just had a case recently on the news about a 9 year old girl snatched out of her bedroom window. Parents who value their kids over their own convenience should do the right thing and stay up all night watching them by their bedside.
I did this all the time, 40 years ago, and so did everyone else, but now it is not considered permissible because of the perception of perverts and carjackers around every corner and the fact that a child might instantly bake in the hot car.
Its a slippery slope, folks. Big brother is watching you, and knows what is better for you and your children than you do.
The laws are so varied. Some of them are ambiguous. Some are very specific. Some are strange.
You're allowed to do it in Florida for 15 minutes even if the car isn't in sight as long as the car isn't running and the child's health isn't in danger.
In Connecticut, it's a greater offense if it's after 8pm.
You get 5 minutes in Hawaii.
It's only illegal in Kentucky if the child dies.
Missouri's is only if the child causes an injury or death to another person via collision. No mention of the child's safety.
FL is an a** backwards state to begin with.
You leave a kid in a car in FL that isn't running so that the A/C is on and you will end up with a kid needing to go to the hospital or possibly dead most of the year.
15 minutes is ridiculous.
Of course it was just on the national news how a Tampa mom accidently just locked her toddler in the car, called 911 and was denied help. Was told only if the child was in distress.
Cop came by and wouldn't help either, finally a stranger saw what was going on and smashed the window with a hammer.
And CT, while it's never a good idea to leave a child in a car like that, the ones that end up dying are during the heat of the day. At least at night the temps are much lower.
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