An Idea For Preventing Children Dying in Hot Cars

United States
July 28, 2007 7:09pm CST
I just read an article discussing the proper punishment or sentence for a person who has left a child in a car and the child dies. They said that 340 children have died as a result of this in the past 10 years. They also explained that in the case of the man the article initially and later focuses on was taking care of 12 children while his wife and daughter were overseas taking care of a cancer victimized relative. In addition to the 12 children, the man had an incredible load of responsibility and had asked two of the teenagers (of babysitting age) to look after the infant. Part of the article says that many of these instances are simply an stress or load-overloaded parent who simply forgot the child who was in the back seat. They further go on to say that there has been a significant rise in these deaths since 1995 after so many children were killed because of air bags and parents began putting small children in the back seat facing the opposite direction of the parent in the driver's seat. As horrible as it is to leave a child in the car, after reading the article, I can understand how this could happen. Now, I'm not talking about people who have intentionally left their child in the car while they go into a store or something. That is inexcusable as far as I'm concerned and is child endangerment and should be prosecuted fully. However, for those parents who have simply been on auto pilot and accidentally left their child in the car and the child has died, that parent is already grieving terribly and putting them in prison isn't the answer. My perspective is that we need to do something to help parents remember the children and I think I've come up with an idea and I'd like your feedback. As some of you know, I have an online store where I sell the designs I've created on t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. This situation has given me an idea to create a design for stickers and a sort of hanging disk that people could put in their car either hanging from the rear view mirror or apply a sticker just under the rear view mirror and elsewhere in the car that would remind them to take their child with them. I think it would be a big help to parents who have so much going on and would never leave their child on purpose but might forget because of so much on their mind. If they have something in front of them that says, "Don't forget your kid," then they will likely check the back seat before exiting the vehicle. So, what do you guys think of this? Especially you parents out there with small children. Would this be of assistance to avoid this type of tragedy from happening to you?
2 people like this
3 responses
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
29 Jul 07
I think it is a great idea. It is very sad when this type of thing occurs...People have grocery lists to remember what they need in the store, so what could be more important than something to remind you that you have precious cargo on board..Absolutely wonderful idea.....If it could just save one life it was worth it....good luck..
• United States
29 Jul 07
I'm going to design something and get it on my site and then let as many parent type sites know about it as possible. You are right. If it saves just one life, it will be worth it. Imagine if it saves several or hundreds of lives? Wouldn't that be marvelous?
1 person likes this
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
29 Jul 07
Yes, that would be marvelous..go ahead and do it, before someone else steals your idea....Anything to save our children...I am all for it.....
1 person likes this
@AJ1952Chats (2332)
• Anderson, Indiana
3 Mar 08
Since most--if not all--of these parents love their kids and were not out to bump them off, they definitely have all the punishment they need just in losing their child. Any punishment we would add to it would just be self-righteous and meanspirited. I don't know if what you're proposing would work everytime--but just to have something that would work even part of the time would mean lives saved, so go for it!!!
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
16 Feb 08
This got me to thinking about the problem and while I still think that a parent should be prosecuted for leaving their kid in a car to sufficate...that isn't solving the problem. I've seen alot of new fangled things added to cars in the last 10-20 years but recently I was in a 2007 car and as soon as I sat down in the front passenger seat a bell started dinging. My friend said that it would continue to ding until I either put on my seatbelt or got out of the car. It turns out there is a thing in the seat that lets the car know that someone is sitting there and needs to buckle up. Now, why can't the same thing be applied to all the seats in the car...including the backseat. If you put your baby and carseat in the backseat and buckle them in...when you stop the car if the weight from that seat isn't removed maybe a buzzer could sound to let you know to check it. If it isn't a baby or child then you could turn off the buzzer but if it is then the buzzer would go off as soon as you remove the weight. The idea of the sign is a good one and might work on some but then again if their so stressed that they'd forget their kid they may glance right past the sign as well. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~