Is it safe and legal to leave children in the car?
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You have heard tragic stories about children being left in hot cars in the summer. Sometimes all you need is a few minutes to run to the store and back out, or the phone rings right after you put your little one in the child seat. Tragedy can happen quickly, and in extreme conditions, it may be your child who suffers.
According to KidsAndCars.org, an average of 37 children die each year due to heat left in a car. Countless other blunders that could have ended very differently.
Is it safe to leave children in the car?
You hear about heartbreaking incidents only in the news. For every accident involving a child leaving a child in a car, there are countless non-accident cases. So, is it really unsafe to leave kids alone in the car?
There are many dangers
It is entirely possible to leave a child in a car without incident. The biggest problem is that there are several variables that you have no control over once you get out of the car. Each of them can be related to security in its own way.
Heatstroke
As mentioned, an average of 37 children die each year in the United States due to being left unattended in a hot car. An unknown number of children are hospitalized and are being treated for the same reason.
Heatstroke is, in fact, overheating of the body, due to which important functions of the body are turned off. The greenhouse effect from the sun's rays can heat a car's interior up to 125 degrees in a matter of minutes. And 80% of the temperature increase occurs within the first 10 minutes.
child abduction
If you can't see your car, you don't know who is watching your child. A stranger may walk by watching your child in the car. Within 10 seconds, the kidnapper can break the window and take your child out of the car.
Car crashes
Snacking in the car is a common thing for your kids. Whether you gave them a snack to distract you while you're away, or if they found a small object in their car seat, it could be a choking hazard. An accident may occur due to the "safety" of your vehicle. If you fail to respond quickly, the results can be disastrous.
Busy kids
Some inquisitive minds are very industrious. They figure out how the seat belt works, even in a system as complex as a child seat. These same little fingers know that the door opens when you pull the handle. Smart kids can easily find their way out of their car seat and open the door. At this point, they are endangered by other vehicles, people and even wander.
running engine
You may think that leaving the car on is helpful, but those same smart kids can sneak into the front seat, shift into gear, or turn off the engine.
In addition, a potential car thief can break into your car and drive off with your kids in the back seat.
Is it legal to leave children in a car?
Even though it doesn't seem like a safe proposition, some parents may still leave their kids unsupervised in the car. Laws on this topic in the United States vary greatly, and each state has its own set of laws. There are no federal laws that apply to leaving children alone in a car.
Here are the laws for each state regarding unsupervised children in cars.
Alabama: There are currently no laws in this state.
Alaska: There are currently no laws in this state.
Arizona: There are currently no laws in this state.
Арканзас: There are currently no laws in this state.
California: A child under the age of 7 must not be left unattended in a vehicle if conditions pose a significant risk to health or well-being. Someone at least 12 years of age must be present. In addition, a child of six years of age or younger should not be left alone in a vehicle with the engine running or the keys in the ignition.
Colorado: There are currently no laws in this state.
Connecticut: A child 12 years of age or younger should not be left unsupervised in a vehicle for any period of time that poses a significant risk to health or safety.
Delaware: There are currently no laws in this state.
Florida: A child under 6 years old should not be left in the car for more than 15 minutes. In addition, a child under the age of 6 must not be left in a running car or with the keys in the ignition for any length of time.
Georgia: There are currently no laws in this state.
Hawaii: Children under nine years of age should not be left in the car unattended for more than 5 minutes.
Idaho: There are currently no laws in this state.
Illinois: A child six years of age or younger should not be left unattended in a car for more than 10 minutes.
Indiana: There are currently no laws in this state.
Iowa: There are currently no laws in this state.
Kansas: There are currently no laws in this state.
Kentucky: Do not leave a child under the age of eight unattended in a vehicle. However, prosecution is only possible in the event of death.
Louisiana: It is prohibited to leave a child under the age of 6 unattended in a vehicle for any period of time without the supervision of a person at least 10 years of age.
Maine: There are currently no laws in this state.
Maryland: It is forbidden to leave a child under the age of 8 in a vehicle out of sight and unattended by a person over 13 years of age.
Massachusetts: There are currently no laws in this state.
Michigan: A child under the age of 6 must not be left unattended in a vehicle for any period of time if there is an unreasonable risk of harm.
Minnesota: There are currently no laws in this state.
Mississippi: There are currently no laws in this state.
Missouri: Leaving a child under the age of 10 unattended in a vehicle if the result is death or injury from a collision or collision with a pedestrian is a felony.
Montana: There are currently no laws in this state.
Nebraska: It is forbidden to leave a child under the age of seven unattended in a vehicle for any period of time.
Nevada: A child under the age of 7 must not be left unattended in a vehicle if conditions pose a significant risk to health or well-being. Someone at least 12 years of age must be present. In addition, a child of six years of age or younger should not be left alone in a vehicle with the engine running or the keys in the ignition.
NH: There are currently no laws in this state.
New Jersey: There are currently no laws in this state.
New Mexico: There are currently no laws in this state.
New York: There are currently no laws in this state.
North Carolina: There are currently no laws in this state.
North Dakota: There are currently no laws in this state.
Ohio: There are currently no laws in this state.
Oklahoma: A child under the age of 7 must not be left unattended in a vehicle if conditions pose a significant risk to health or well-being. Someone at least 12 years of age must be present. In addition, a child of six years of age or younger must not be left alone in a vehicle with the engine running or keys running anywhere in the vehicle.
Oregon: There are currently no laws in this state.
Pennsylvania: Do not leave children under the age of 6 unattended in a car out of sight when circumstances threaten the health or well-being of the child.
Rhode Island: A child 12 years of age or younger should not be left unsupervised in a vehicle for any period of time that poses a significant risk to health or safety.
Южная Каролина: There are currently no laws in this state.
North Dakota: There are currently no laws in this state.
Tennessee: A child under the age of 7 must not be left unattended in a vehicle if conditions pose a significant risk to health or well-being. Someone at least 12 years of age must be present. In addition, a child of six years of age or younger must not be left alone in a vehicle with the engine running or keys running anywhere in the vehicle.
Texas: It is illegal to leave a child under the age of seven unattended for more than 5 minutes unless accompanied by a person aged 14 or over.
Utah: It is illegal to leave a child under the age of nine unaccompanied if there is a risk of hyperthermia, hypothermia or dehydration. Supervision must be carried out by someone nine years of age or older.
Vermont: There are currently no laws in this state.
Virginia: There are currently no laws in this state.
Washington: It is forbidden to leave persons under 16 years of age in a running vehicle.
West Virginia: There are currently no laws in this state.
Wisconsin: There are currently no laws in this state.
Wyoming: There are currently no laws in this state.
