Baby left in car with engine running? Post Reply

[aryastark]

I changed my username for this post. I was walking home with my daughter this evening (around 5.50pm), we got off 319 at Darley Road and were walking towards Fara shop. Right opposite the wall with Banksy's painting, there was a silver mercedes on the side of the road (single yellow line). The engine was running but noone in driving seat or front seat. 

I then noticed a baby (5months?) in the car seat in the back. My daughter and I stood outside the car looking around to see if someone looked like it was theirs. I stood by the car while my daughter ran into Fara to ask if it was one of their customers. 

After perhaps 3-4 minutes of this fruitless observation, i dialed 999 and reported an empty car with engine running, with baby in the back. During the police call, i tried to see if door was open (on their instruction), which it was. 

My call with police lasted over 5 minutes. At that time, a boy of 10-ish came from a house nearby and sat in the car next to baby. He confirmed it was his family car. I then walked up the street to see where he came from and saw two women chatting in the corridor of the first house along northcote road, after Fara - i think by memory it's 157 northcote road. (That door was closed previously) 

After a further 1-2 minutes a woman emerged and went towards the car. by that point i had walked slightly away from the car as my blood was boiling, police was on their way and i thought i would handle any possible confrontation pretty badly. 

Police called me later to say that they did not arrive in time to speak to owner. i am not clear on whether they'll take action or not.

I would like to tell whoever did this - IT IS NOT OK TO LEAVE A BABY (LOCKED OR UNLOCKED), IN A CAR WITH ENGINE RUNNING AND BUGGER OFF FOR AT LEAST 9 MINUTES. 
Your baby and your car could have been stolen. How many Mercedes stand there waiting to be driven off by thieves, complete with keys and unlocked doors? Surely an attractive target. 
It is not OK to buckle the seatbelt around the baby car seat but leave inner harness of the seat undone. 
NONE OF THIS IS OK

Due to data protection regulations I believe I can't post car reg here, but if you suspect you know the person involved and can tell me (via private message) which mercedes model it is, i can confirm the reg number via pm, obviously if car model is right. 

 

[tooposhtopush]

OMG I am horrified by this post.  You are so right, there could have been so many disastrous outcomes. I hope that the mother in question sees this and realises how irresponsible she was. 

TPTP

 

[aryastark]

I am really really hopeful that this post will get more traction than it's had so far. i want to raise awareness and reach more readers, in hope that someone identifies the person in question and talks to her 

[Annabel (admin)]

Hi aryastark

Many thanks for taking time to post. 
We will call it out for you in Monday's email to help raise awareness and we have posted on social too.

Annabel x

[aryastark]

Hi aryastark

Many thanks for taking time to post. 
We will call it out for you in Monday's email to help raise awareness and we have posted on social too.

Annabel x

thank you very much Annabel. i was hoping you would 
 

[dhcwong]

Would you have felt the same if the baby was left in a locked car with the engine turned off?

Would you have felt the same way if someone left for their baby in a car seat in a house and left the room for 9 minutes (and went and cooked dinner?)

Just asking to ascertain why you were so enraged. You called the police on a decent person who wasn’t a criminal.

[Bathtub]

Oh for f*ck's sake Petal, there's no excuse for this mother to have left the car unlocked iwth the baby inside. The very fact that a 20 second drop off or pick up can turn into a longer event is precisely why you NEVER leave a child alone in the car.
I am disgusted that you are attempting to defend this. It's wrong. It doesn't really matter why the op is posting this; she says she wants the woman to understand that this is wrong in all circumstances, so she hopefully doesn't do it again.
I'm guessing, though, that it won't make a difference and people like this have their heads so far up their backside that they'll never understand why you don't do this.

[happygoluckymummy]

Calling the police after 3 minutes seems like an overreaction. The mother could for example have been a single mother with 2 babies or 1 baby and 1 toddler and simply had no other choice but taking one baby/toddler out of the car at a time and leaving the other while safely bringing the other inside the house. How does a single mom deal with this? I agree that this needs an exploration of the motives. Calling the police sounds like a punitive reaction. Wanting to punish a parent who we don’t even know and whose circumstances we don’t even try to understand doesn’t sound right. A better way to deal with this would have perhaps been to have a chat with the mother. If signs of child neglect become apparent after that conversation, then a better call would be to inform social services. If signs that the mother may be in need of support - then other suppirt networks may be needed. Instead of having a calm chat with the mother, the neighbour seems to be ‘boiling with rage inside’. That rage needs to be explored as it may stem from other places...

[Autumnisland]

It’s illegal to leave a child unattended in a car, regardless of age, if there is a potential risk. A baby in an unlocked car with an engine running would definitely count as an at-risk situation to me, and obviously did to the operator who sent police to the scene!! My first priority would *always* be the safety of the child in question, and the only people who are able to ascertain and assure the child’s safety are the police.

It might seem like overkill to some people, but that’s only because the mother did reappear and the child wasn’t harmed. Imagine the guilt of the OP if they hadn’t called the police and the car had been stolen, or the baby taken out of it by a stranger, or the baby left unattended and they over heated, or the baby flipped themself out of the car seat etc etc. The fact that anyone is questioning the OP’s motives (which were clearly the child’s protection) is ridiculous.

[mamaof1]

Completely agree with Autumnisland

[khutchi]

There is no specific law that says it is illegal to leave a Baby or child in a car

[dhcwong]

I agree with petal. Calling the police on a fellow mum for an unharmed child was clearly ridiculous. She could’ve spoken to the mum instead of wasting time and creating drama.. and wasting taxpayers’ money.

Of course if wasn’t right but please, what kind of judgmental and mean person are you? Let it go!

[pinkhorse]

I'm not making a comment about the specific incident about but thought I'd share this article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/opin ... 80803&te=1

[happygoluckymummy]

The article is spot on. Thank you for sharing pinkhorse

We do live in fear and in a society where it is seen as abnormal, or even criminal, to allow children to be away from direct adult supervision, even for a second. I am also in fear that other adults may judge me for my lack of fear.

[happygoluckymummy]

The article is spot on. Thank you for sharing pinkhorse

We do live in fear and in a society where it is seen as abnormal, or even criminal, to allow children to be away from direct adult supervision, even for a second. I am also in fear that other adults may judge me for my lack of fear.