by Cindy Whittington

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: November 04, 2009

There are a plethora of potential dangers associated with leaving a child unsupervised in a vehicle. What good may come of it? Some people consider leaving their child alone in the car as they pay for their gasoline. The possible repercussions for doing so far outweigh the few moments an individual may shave off by not having the children accompany them inside the gas station. There are far too many instances whereby a parent has walked a few feet away to pay for their gas only to have the unimaginable to happen. Those parents walk out of the gas station only to see some stranger get in the car and leave the premises with their vehicle and their child. What a chilling thought! Imagine how distraught that parent would be. This sequence of events could have easily been prevented by taking a few extra moments to remove the child's safety restraints and have the child accompany them into the store.

By making it a common practice to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, an individual has drastically reduced potential safety risks. There is a lesser likelihood of forgetting a child in the rear of a car if one does not make it a practice to leave their child alone in the car. There are so many stories of parents forgetting their children in the car, especially on hot days. These parents have indicated they simply forgot the child was in the backseat of the vehicle. The outcome of these situations has occasionally been fatal. Of course, there are parents who do not normally have their children with them and they have forgotten the child in the backseat. How terrible these parents must feel!

There are other reasons why a child should never be left unattended in a motorized vehicle. One reason is quite simple, the child may accidentally lock themselves in the vehicle. Even if there is an easy solution to this problem if someone is nearby and witnessing the incident, the feeling of fright the parent and/or child may feel is overwhelming. Another possible danger is the child knocking the vehicle into gear. Imagine how scary it would be to see your child rolling away from you in a vehicle all alone and scared. These are just a few reasons why a child should never be left unattended in a vehicle. All instances are frightening if not horrific for parents, children, and onlookers alike. All instances may possibly be circumvented by never making it a practice to leave a child alone in a car.

Learn more about this author, Cindy Whittington.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.