Unattended young kids in car - would you have done anything?

pulliptears

Welshwoofs wrote: »

1 in 23 years makes it a significantly lower risk than being crushed by a vending machine...which happens approximately 2.3 times a year.

Wonder if Sharnad lets their child use a vending machine?
:rotfl:

Janepig

I would guard against googling such cases and using them to bolster any argument on here. Take this case for example (link). This was all over the local news at the time after someone saw the child being "abducted", and it took about 2 days before someone was arrested in relation to the incident.

Now try as you might, you won't find a news article anywhere about how the case was resolved, because the journalist in Court was not able to report what happened for reasons of not being able to identify the child and telling the full story would do just that. Does that give you a clue as to who might have been involved? I know the full story (having also been in Court) and it just goes to show how something completely harmless can be seen by a passer by and blown out of all proportion. No harm came to the child, no harm was ever going to come to the child, and there was a happy explanation and outcome to what happened.

Not that I'm criticising the person who reported what they saw, it may have been something sinister and imo I think they did the right thing - although it caused a lot of uneccessary upheaval and problems for the person arrested. But it serves as a reminder that there is always more to what we read in news articles and there's never a substitute for hearing the story first hand.

Jx

Mrs_Imp

Air_Cooled_75 wrote: »

I have a little trouble with these 'electrical' faults, it must be as rare as hen's teeth

My car caught fire one night while I was sleeping A probable electrical fault combined with a heavy rainstorm. I now have a battery switch fitted so that I can turn all the electrics off completely and it'll not happen again.

But I agree, it's rare to happen when a car is off. The nice firemen who put my car out seemed very surprised that it happened while no-one was driving.

sabretoothtigger

What car was that. Only very light electric should be on 24/7 as obviously its a drain on the battery.
It is surprising to start a fire but not the first time Ive heard of it. I used to disconnect the battery for similar reasons

On the OP, the worst incidents that happen every year is locked in summer heat. A baby can die from what is quite mild heat to an adult, more often it kills dogs

amiaspden wrote: »

One time I was left on a carpark that sloped down to a main road. They said afterwards I must have knocked the handbrake off, but I suspect they didn't put it on properly

A handbrake slipping is very common, thats why it should be in gear. You didnt engage the clutch too I take it, in which case driver is at fault.
Ive done it myself but not with kids in the car. I caught an Audi sliding into a brick wall while I was walking past and the owner thought I'd forced it forward, some thanks :laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lqa-sJbZ6A

Janepig

sabretoothtigger wrote: »

A handbrake slipping is very common, thats why it should be in gear. You didnt engage the clutch too I take it, in which case driver is at fault.
Ive done it myself but not with kids in the car. I caught an Audi sliding into a brick wall while I was walking past and the owner thought I'd forced it forward, some thanks :laugh:

There was a little boy killed locally last year after being run over on his own (sloping) drive by his mother's car after the handbrake slipped or there was some sort of incident with the handbrake (I've heard afew different stories and wouldn't want to speculate). His parents started a "park in gear" campaign afterwards and I must admit that I was pretty ignorant of the need to either park in reverse or first gear, depending on whether you're facing up or down a hill, even though we live in quite a hilly area. I can't say I remember every time now, but I try my best .

My car has a handbrake "lever" thing on the right hand side of the steering wheel which you pull out to engage and which releases itself as you start to drive off, so there's no danger of one of my children "accidentally" nudging the handbrake if they were ever left in the car on their own. The down side of that being whenever I drive DH's car now with it's more conventional handbrake arrangement, I often forget and wonder why the car is slow to accellerate .

Jx

Spendless

I remember the case of Ames Glover. He disappeared around the time that Alexandra Griffiths had been taken from hospital. It *may* have even been during the time she was missing.

http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!/items/2323824-famous-british-child-kidnappings

The media was full of this story, so unfortunately Ames Glover going missing didn't get the publicity that may have helped find him.

missmucksmum

an ex friend of mine always leaves her children i the car when going shopping, once evn admitted to forgetting they had the 3 yr old in the back (7 seater) and left while they did the weekly shop coming back to 3yr old pinned to the window screaming her eyes out, also 3 yrs ago the middle daughter aged about 6 or 7 was out late at night with the grandmother delivering for a local takeaway on the high st, little girl fell asleep (was around 10 or 11 at night) so was left in the car while grandmother went into the shop to wait for next order. In the meantime a young drunk lad in a rage took it upon himself to run down the high street with a sledghammer smashing shop windows and cars as he went, the window where the girl was was smashed in but luckily she was slumped down so was unharmed but woke up covered in glass so please definitely do not leave them unattended I never have and never will and always watch over other children who are left in cars until their parents return, I dont say anything or get a thankyou just normally a barrage of excuses- Ive been up all night, this is first time theyve slept all day etc coming out of the DIY store with a lamp- must of been an important lamp nothing is more important, than your childs safety, I wouldnt leave my dog in the car on its own x

nickj_2

missmucksmum wrote: »

an ex friend of mine always leaves her children i the car when going shopping, once evn admitted to forgetting they had the 3 yr old in the back (7 seater) and left while they did the weekly shop coming back to 3yr old pinned to the window screaming her eyes out, also 3 yrs ago the middle daughter aged about 6 or 7 was out late at night with the grandmother delivering for a local takeaway on the high st, little girl fell asleep (was around 10 or 11 at night) so was left in the car while grandmother went into the shop to wait for next order. In the meantime a young drunk lad in a rage took it upon himself to run down the high street with a sledghammer smashing shop windows and cars as he went, the window where the girl was was smashed in but luckily she was slumped down so was unharmed but woke up covered in glass so please definitely do not leave them unattended I never have and never will and always watch over other children who are left in cars until their parents return, I dont say anything or get a thankyou just normally a barrage of excuses- Ive been up all night, this is first time theyve slept all day etc coming out of the DIY store with a lamp- must of been an important lamp nothing is more important, than your childs safety, I wouldnt leave my dog in the car on its own x

there are around 30 million cars in the country and around 60 million people in the country , so the chances of this happening to you or your kids are so remote that you stand more chance of winning the national lottery twice than this happening to your kids . the same as the chances of your kids being abducted whilst left in a car , the car catching on fire , rolling downhill , being trampled on by a herd of rampaging elephants , being struck by an out of control satelite etc .... yes it's not ideal to leave your kids unattended in the car , yes things can happen , but people do not think twice about putting their kids in the car and driving , this statistically will be the most dangerous thing your children will ever do . people are killed every day in the car whilst it is being driven , people coming to harm whilst the vehicle is not moving does not happen every day , which is why it will make the front page of the papers

missmucksmum

nickj wrote: »

there are around 30 million cars in the country and around 60 million people in the country , so the chances of this happening to you or your kids are so remote that you stand more chance of winning the national lottery twice than this happening to your kids . the same as the chances of your kids being abducted whilst left in a car , the car catching on fire , rolling downhill , being trampled on by a herd of rampaging elephants , being struck by an out of control satelite etc .... yes it's not ideal to leave your kids unattended in the car , yes things can happen , but people do not think twice about putting their kids in the car and driving , this statistically will be the most dangerous thing your children will ever do . people are killed every day in the car whilst it is being driven , people coming to harm whilst the vehicle is not moving does not happen every day , which is why it will make the front page of the papers

well it happened and it shouldn't of happened due to laziness, how many children do you have Nick? x

notanewuser

missmucksmum wrote: »

well it happened and it shouldn't of happened due to laziness, how many children do you have Nick? x

Why on earth was the child with the grandmother then anyway? Bloody ridiculous scenario. Child needed to be asleep, not sat in a takeaway, so leaving her in the car was the best option in my view. A freak occurrence doesn't change that.