Leaving kids in the car....

S1976

I use to manage a service station for close to 7 years, before having children I may add, and more parents left their children in the car than didn't, it never seemed to cause any problems for the children. moms and other drivers - I think it really depends on how busy the station is and you judge for yourself if you can be in and out - most use to just dive to the front and leave their cash on the counter or through the window hatch - usually with an quick apology to every one - no one seemed to mind.

bestpud

S1976 wrote: »

I use to manage a service station for close to 7 years, before having children I may add, and more parents left their children in the car than didn't, it never seemed to cause any problems for the children. moms and other drivers - I think it really depends on how busy the station is and you judge for yourself if you can be in and out - most use to just dive to the front and leave their cash on the counter or through the window hatch - usually with an quick apology to every one - no one seemed to mind.

I agree - I see very few parents taking their children in with them.

Petrol stations tend to have huge windows anyway, or at least they do here, so you can see your car very clearly even if stood in a queue.

For me, it is good as my dd can see me as well.

davetrousers

Imagine being stuck behind someone like this at a petrol staion!

Spendless

bestpud wrote: »

Report from RoSPA in 2008:

http://www.rospa.com/RoadSafety/advice/incarsafety/info/children_in_cars.pdf

The whole report is interesting, imo, but two points jumped out at me:

Since 2000, RoSPA has collected press reports of 13 fatal accidents in which a child was killed while in and around a car, but not in a car crash. Five of these deaths occurred when children were left unattended in vehicles – two deaths were due to an electric window, and two deaths were due to children playing with matches left in the vehicle. My car doesn't have electric windows and my husband's car that does the keys have to be in the ignition to work them and the keys are ALWAYS in my hand when I pay for petrol as the jkey to the hub cap is on the same set so they would be with me. I would also NEVER leave matches or a lighter anywhere that kids can get hold of. Neither me or hubby smoke so there would never be these type iof items in the car, so that would leave one death in the car.

There have also been several cases of a car being stolen while, unknown to the thief, a child was still inside. From a garage forecourt? Again were the keys left in the ignition? The amount of time it takes to pay for petrol where I am even if there is a queue I don't think it would be enough time to 'hot-wire' a car. It would also be done in full view of the kiosk staff any other customers and CCTV.

I suppose it's up to us, as parents, to assess the level of risk to our child as every circumstance is different and every child/location etc is different...

Yes I agree with this. BTW what do you keep in your car that is valuable? I forgot to multi quote. My bag and purse is with me paying for petrol and I can't think of anything else (I don't have a sat nav) and larger items if we've been on a shopping trip would be locked in the boot and not accessible to a theif reaching into the car.

mrcow

Lalaladybird wrote: »

If I ever have to stop at a shop or petrol station I always go through the palaver of taking my child in to the shop with me to pay,

I think that's dangerous. I wouldn't walk my children across a busy petrol forecourt.

Spendless

Originally Posted by Spendless
well the car might catch on fire (apparantly this happens occassionally but must be rare I've never heard of anyone it's happened to), It could catch fire when you are in it too someone might pinch them out of the car whilst your back is turned (again never heard of it but can't say there's never been a case) lock it and take the keys the kids might get out and wander off (no experience of this one either), mine would run off if I took them through the forecoart they might let the handbrake down and your car suddenly rolls into something (this I have heard of) most forcoarts are level or leave it in gear they might start screaming the place down unhappy at being left (would guess that would depend on child's age and temperament), they do that when I'm there anyway they might squabble, fight with their siblings and you'll be sorting out WW3 when you get back Yeah, they do that too when I'm there!. Sure there's others but it's all I could think of at the min.

tiamai_d wrote: »

I think for me the only one that would concern me is them becoming upset.

The car going on fire... sounds too urban myth to me. Surely the risk of the fuel tanks below the garage suddenly combusting and blowing everything to hell is just as high as the car suddenly going up in flames?

The only one that has happened to our car is the handbrake one and the kids were at school. It is my husband that left the handbrake off! Perhaps he shouldn't be trusted in a garage forecourt.:D

Toomuchdebt

I always leave the kids in the car while I pay for petrol unless I only have the baby with me in which case I take her out and carry her across the forecourt.I also leave the kids in the car when I go to Tesco sometimes if the older ones are there-I flatly refuse to take 5 kids shopping with me and as the 2 elder ones are 15 and 12 they are old enough to look after the younger ones.They lock the doors from the inside and I have the keys with me.They also have mobile phones to contact me if needed.If I only have the younger ones then we all go in.

gratefulforhelp_2

I leave mine in, lock the door and watch them. If a fire broke out I would smash the windscreen with a fire extinguisher to get to them (they never sit in the front).

bestpud

Spendless wrote: »

Yes I agree with this. BTW what do you keep in your car that is valuable? I forgot to multi quote. My bag and purse is with me paying for petrol and I can't think of anything else (I don't have a sat nav) and larger items if we've been on a shopping trip would be locked in the boot and not accessible to a theif reaching into the car.

I didn't say I keep anything of value in my car - I said in case they go looking for something valuable, as you'd be surprised how many women leave their bag etc in full view on the front seat! Have a look during the school run - you may be surprised, and a thief won't know if I'm one of those dullards, will they?

I don't actually use a handbag and my purse is always in my pocket.

I do sometimes have my mobile in my door pocket but it's out of view - I take it if I leave the car for any time but would leave it there just to pop and pay.

However, I always lock my door - always!

I see no point in taking the risk tbh.

A thief will take an old coat if they think it has something in it, or if they just want to keep dry, as happened with my bil - they smashed his window just to steal his jacket! Not at a petrol station obviously, but just outside his friends house and they were all sat in the house at the time.

My car doesn't have electric windows either, and neither does it have central locking. I don't smoke and have one box of matches at home (high up) for my candles, but never in the car.

Sooo, any of those things would be very unlikely to happen to me as well (hence I leave my dd in the car for short periods!) - I was responding to your post saying you've never heard of these things actually happening iyswim?

tiamai_d

I can just imagine two cars in a garage forecourt, two mothers go to pay, one with her children in tow, the other without. They look at each other and think 'what a terrible mother!'

That amuses me for some reason! (boring day)