Leaving a child in a car is a judgment call

Though it’s cleared both chambers of the Legislature and only some details remain to be settled, the bill to make it unlawful to leave a child under 9 in a car for even a minute seems as overreaching and unenforceable as it is well-meaning. Proponents note that tragedies can happen in an instant and too many parents ignore the risk — no argument there. But police and prosecutors already can and do respond to such child endangerment. The state doesn’t need to newly criminalize something that’s a parental judgment call. Surely a better use of advocates’ and officials’ time would be to focus on finding foster parents and adoptive parents for the hundreds of Kansas kids in real need.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

9 Comments

  1. CrusaderX
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 12:32 am | Permalink

    Well no one should leave toddlers or infants in a car by themselves without any supervision from a parent / guardian / older sibling, that’s just common sense. They don’t need to make a law for that, jeez! Kansans can’t be THAT dumb can they?

  2. Tara
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 1:13 am | Permalink

    I don’t know if this is overreaching , really. I mean, if you have an 8 year old in the car at QuikTrip while you’re paying for gas, it’s not terribly painful to take him with you. If you have a 2 year old, though–I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave him alone for even a minute. You just never know. I think there’s a huge difference between leaving a napping baby in the house for a minute while you check the mail, and leaving it in your car while you go grab some milk at Dillons.

    My own mother was wise about this. If she needed to run errands and not be bothered by her daughters, she’d leave us with Dad or the next door neighboors.

  3. Sum1
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 4:33 am | Permalink

    Now, we’ll hear about families that are leaving their children alone while they run errands.

  4. raptor
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 7:11 am | Permalink

    Gotta agree with Crusader on this. But, can you imagine any legislator voting against it? Sheeesh…they would be painted as anti-child, anti-safety, etc.

    Ridiculous..the “there outta be a law” mentality is out of control, again…

  5. Julie
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 7:57 am | Permalink

    So now when we have the people that leave kids in the car and something terrible happens not only are they going to go thru their personal hell they’re going to be criminally charged. Sounds like rubbing salt in the wound to me.

  6. R Lewis
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 8:45 am | Permalink

    CrusaderX…..Are you kidding?, just look around you

  7. OneShot
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 12:19 pm | Permalink

    If you keep voting for Democrats and Republicans this is what you get.

  8. TRACY
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 12:41 pm | Permalink

    I think Phill’s trained hairdressers should be on the lookout for any suspicious parents who also drive. Especially if they have teenagers who might be tempted to use the back seat.

  9. Dan
    Posted March 8, 2006 at 9:25 pm | Permalink

    I feel it is a parents judgment call. I see no problems leaving my 8 year old in the car while I run in to pay for gas.Are we also going to outlaw kids under 9 walking to school or waiting for the bus?