Leaving children unattended in cars

Sparrow90 · 29-05-2012 06:31PM #1

Just had a minor accident whilst in my friends car.
We arrived into the car park of a supermarket, which is on a slope. She had parked her car, and just as we were getting out, the car was bumped from behind by another car.
Turned out the only passengers in the 'offending' car were two young children (6 and 3!!!). They had been left unattended, had let down the hand-break, and had rolled downhill, hitting my friend's car. Total miracle no-one was hurt.

Anyway, 20-25 mins later, along comes the mother, back from the bank (which was off down the main-street!). She kept insisting she had only been gone 5 mins, and that this was the first time she had left them alone (likely).
Gardaí arrived shortly after. However, when my friend was giving out to the woman about leaving her kids on their OWN in the car, the Garda just said "you've said your piece, she knows she's done wrong".

No-one was hurt thankfully, not even much damage to the car. However, the Garda didn't seem to know if it was illegal that she had left two children in the car, and that this had happened. She said she'd "look it up", but that she didn't think there was a specific law regarding this. Anyone know? Can't seem to find a definitive answer online, but needless to say, we were shocked at how she could leave the kids. If the car had been parked only a few metres to the right, it would have rolled right down onto the busy main street.
What do people think of leaving kids unattended in cars?

FatherLen · 29-05-2012 06:37PM

did you bash her?
i would have bashed her.

Jen Pigs Fly · 29-05-2012 06:37PM

I think its disgraceful, some parents really must be trying to receive the Darwin Aware, it's basic knowledge not to leave kids alone unattended

On an unrelated note: was the mother hot?

tigger123 · 29-05-2012 06:38PM

Sounds like the Garda was trying to defuse the situation tbh.

I do think you should crack the window just a bit though.

29-05-2012 06:40PM

You would be prosicuted for leaving a dog unattended in a car, so why not children!

Jen Pigs Fly · 29-05-2012 06:41PM

Deleted User wrote: »

You would be prosicuted for leaving a dog unattended in a car, so why not children!

More people like dogs over children?

orchidsrpretty · 29-05-2012 06:41PM

When I was a kid we were always being left alone in the car. One day my mum was silly enough to park on a main street. After she left we got out the sun roof and threw pop corn at the people walking by. It wasn't long before someone reported up and a guard showed up, waited for my mum to come back and gave her some sort of warning, she never left up alone after that.
That was in the 80's, I would of thought with all the scaemongering that goes on these days no parent would leave their children unattended.
Maybe she hoped they would get taken sound like brats.

Run_to_da_hills · 29-05-2012 06:44PM

In the UK and definitively the US they would be getting a visit from child welfare.

Milk & Honey · 29-05-2012 06:45PM

It is an extremely serious and stupid thing to leave children that age unattended, whether in a car or anywhere else. Something could happen to the parent e.g. knocked unconscious or the like and the children would be left stranded for god knows how long. Contact the HSE and report it. It amounts to child neglect and they will send a social worker out to investigate.

phasers · 29-05-2012 06:52PM

My Dad used to leave us in the car while he went to the bookies, but we're not retarded and never released the handbrake or touched any controls on the car because we knew it was dangerous.

Not that I recommend doing it though, it's bloody boring.

Jester252 · 29-05-2012 07:00PM

A child needs to be looked after every single hour that they are awake. It is a shame that stuff like this happen but its too common in today's world

kelle · 29-05-2012 07:00PM

It was stupid of that woman to leave her children in the car for so long, especially in this warm weather! They could have become seriously dehydrated.

And what if you were behind your car getting a pushchair out of the boot and placing a child into it when the other car rolled onto it, like I would have been years ago

seantorious · 29-05-2012 07:01PM

The HSE is now pushing child responsibility so if the information is ignored and something comes of it the employee is punished.

Bipolar Joe · 29-05-2012 07:17PM

Employee?

phill106 · 29-05-2012 07:21PM

Jester252 wrote: »

A child needs to be looked after every single hour that they are awake.

Thats what the Mccanns thought, look where that got them.

Mind them when asleep too!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 29-05-2012 07:25PM

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

I think its disgraceful, Joe, some parents really must be trying to receive the Darwin Aware, it's basic knowledge not to leave kids alone unattended

On an unrelated note: was the mother hot?

FYP.

Also, am I the only one who senses an "undercover" journo when something like this shows up as a first post with no definite details as to location, etc, ...?

Sparrow90 · 29-05-2012 07:39PM

kelle wrote: »

It was stupid of that woman to leave her children in the car for so long, especially in this warm weather! They could have become seriously dehydrated.

And what if you were behind your car getting a pushchair out of the boot and placing a child into it when the other car rolled onto it, like I would have been years ago

So true. We didn't see or hear the car coming, as obviously the engine wasn't on. Easily could have hit someone, and this was a pretty large car, so it definitely could inflict damage.

Most of the windows were rolled all the way down, and the car was unlocked. I'm not sure if that's better or worse though:eek:!! I mean nothing was stopping the kids just leaving the car themselves, and being run over or whatever. I mean, they were 6 and 3..hardly the ages of common sense!

Sparrow90 · 29-05-2012 07:41PM

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

FYP.

Also, am I the only one who senses an "undercover" journo when something like this shows up as a first post with no definite details as to location, etc, ...?

This happened in supervalu Greystones. I'm not a journalist..haha

Horsefumbler · 29-05-2012 07:42PM

phill106 wrote: »

Thats what the Mccanns thought, look where that got them.

Mind them when asleep too!

Off topic: I think you'll find their problem was that they weren't looking after their kids at all really

Pussnboots · 29-05-2012 07:46PM

Of course it's illegal and the guards are required by law to report this to the nearest social work department, the process is known as CPN, as previously in a post before this the guard could lose his job if this comes to light in future

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 29-05-2012 07:47PM

Sparrow90 wrote: »

This happened in supervalu Greystones. I'm not a journalist..haha

So we won't be reading an article about careless parenting in a national tabloid in the next week or so? Okay. All is good then.

Mr.Biscuits · 29-05-2012 08:01PM

phasers wrote: »

My Dad used to leave us in the car [..]

Same here, all the time in fact.

[..] but we're not retarded and never released the handbrake

Eh mm, I, well we .. Eastenders is just starting, gotta run.

veronymus · 29-05-2012 08:35PM

Jester252 wrote: »

A child needs to be looked after every single hour that they are awake. It is a shame that stuff like this happen but its too common in today's world

Yeah, as opposed to yesteryear when children were smoked all over on buses, in the cinema etc. when child seats did not exist, when you could cram as many into a car as you liked, when you travelled on school coaches without any seatbelts and were thrown to the front every time the bus stopped sharply. I could go on........

Yeah, really sucks to be a child in today's world

Pottler · 29-05-2012 09:06PM

Leaving kids unattended in cars is probably mildly worse than putting them into tumbledryers.

30-05-2012 07:37AM

phasers wrote: »

My Dad used to leave us in the car while he went to the bookies, but we're not retarded and never released the handbrake or touched any controls on the car because we knew it was dangerous.

Not that I recommend doing it though, it's bloody boring.

We used to be left in the car, one time I was "driving" it and the steering lock kicked in!

I thought that I'd broken it and scarpered! :eek:

the groutch · 30-05-2012 08:59AM

I would report the Ban Garda involved (assuming you have her name/ badge number), sounds like being a woman (and possibly a mother) she over-sympathised with the mother, and didnt do her job effectively.

(awaits barrage of abuse)

Biggins · 30-05-2012 09:17AM

That parent that left the kids in the car has probably felt sorry for the Parents of Madeline McCann and possibly went "Tut-Tut" for them leaving kids alone in a hotel bedroom!

...Now they do something similar - even in more public!

People are just stupid!

SafeSurfer · 30-05-2012 09:24AM

I will occasionally leave the kids in the car when I nip in for a pint, but only if they are asleep. Leaving kids awake in a car is just downright irresponsible.

Milk & Honey · 30-05-2012 09:30AM

the groutch wrote: »

I would report the Ban Garda involved (assuming you have her name/ badge number), sounds like being a woman (and possibly a mother) she over-sympathised with the mother, and didnt do her job effectively.

(awaits barrage of abuse)

The term Ban Garda is obsolete. They are all (male & female members) called Garda now!

Rabidlamb · 30-05-2012 09:32AM

Jester252 wrote: »

A child needs to be looked after every single hour that they are awake. It is a shame that stuff like this happen but its too common in today's world

Helen Lovejoy everybody, take a bow Helen.
Look we all know kids are cute & entertaining & all but they'll grow up to be as big a shower of bastards as the rest of us.
Mollycoddling creates as many problems & issues as poor parenting.

Cantona's Collars · 30-05-2012 10:05AM

Had to deal with the effects of some moron leaving a toddler alone in a van before,the kid was locked in and let off the handbrake,the car park is on a slope.Cue the van rolling down through the carpark with a screaming child inside as myself & 3 other guys tried to stop it before it went through the wall at the back of the supermarket.

I can't understand how someone could leave a toddler in a car and go off to do a grocery shop that would take almost an hour to complete.I don't mind someone nipping in for a paper or something and leaving the car within view but heading off into a supermarket and pretty much forgetting about the child is unforgivable.

Leaving children unattended in cars

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