It is our position that children should never be left unattended in an automobile and the community must remain vigilant. The recent rash of incidents involving children being left alone in sweltering vehicles begs the question, “What was the parent thinking?”
Ideally, parenting should be a selfless commitment. The reality is that parenting can be very inconvenient at times. Many parents shudder at the thought of chasing toddlers around the grocery store or dread the crying caused by waking a child out of a sound sleep to remove them from the car. Yet, we do it without a lot of hand-wringing because it’s part of being a responsible parent.
An automobile should never be used as a babysitter. A locked car is not a safe-haven for children. Leaving a child in automobile is like putting them in an oven-like death trap. It does not even have to be hot outside for the temperature to rapidly escalate inside of a parked car.
Is a peaceful shopping experience really worth risking the well-being of your child? The same holds true for pets. If you can’t take them with you, don’t leave them in the car – especially in this summer of record heat.