Since becoming a parent I try very hard not to judge other moms and dads.
However, there are some things that I simply cannot reconcile being done to children regardless of circumstances: severe beatings, starvation, mental abuse… and leaving a kid alone in a vehicle.
I realize that many, many parents routinely leave their children unattended in vehicles during quick pit stops at stores, the post office, gas station or when picking up older kids at school.
I once met a mom who left her 6-month-old strapped in an infant carrier in the back seat of her vehicle while she ran into the UPS store. She was gone for less than 10 minutes and when she returned to the parking lot, her car and her kid were gone.
Two hours later police recovered the mom’s car, her child, and the man responsible for stealing both.
Five house after that I interviewed the mom for a report on the 10 o’clock news.
It’s been more than a decade since I met that mom, but her story is one I will never forget.
I think about her every time I am tempted to leave my child alone in a car.
The temptation is real, and so are the results, especially when an innocent child is hurt or killed in the process.
Turns out the New York State Senate is finally getting that message. Just last month lawmakers in the Empire State unanimously passed a bill making it illegal for kids under 8 to be left alone in a vehicle. The legislation applies to any person legally charged with care of a child and states that they cannot be left alone or with anyone under the age of 12, “under conditions which would knowingly or recklessly present a significant risk to the health or safety of the child.”
Great news, right?
Sort of.
Whereas I am thrilled that one of the most populated states in the country is taking steps to prevent kids from boiling or freezing to death in a car, or becoming the innocent victim in a car-napping or injured if another driver smashes into the parked vehicle they are sitting in all by themselves, the penalties for doing so leave a lot to be desired.
Currently, if a person is found guilty of leaving a child unattended in a car he or she would be fined no more than $50 for the first violation, no more than $100 for a second infraction within 18 months of the first, and no more than $250 for a third.
In contrast, if you are found guilty of leaving a pet alone in a motor vehicle in conditions of extreme cold or heat without proper ventilation anywhere in New York you will be fined between $50 and $100 for the first offense and between $100 and $250 for the second infraction.
One step forward, two steps back.
How do you feel about the new law? Would it affect your habit of leaving your child alone in a car or is that something you would never dream of doing?