It is shocking to find out that there is no Federal Law in the United States judicial system against children left unattended in vehicles! (www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/leaving-children-unattended-in-cars.html)
Our previous posts have ventured into unfortunate death toll number which has been updated now to 1,018 deaths due to Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH). It is also sad to see that there are only 20 out of 52 states that have laws protecting our loved ones from this deadly occurrence, and certainly it is not enough.
We have discussed in our previous posts that the internal temperatures in vehicles can easily reach 109 ̊ F (42 ̊ C) within 20 minutes under the sun, even though it could be only 70 ̊ F (21 ̊ C) outside. The vehicle acts as an oven and traps the unbearable heat within the vehicle, slowly suffocating a baby or young toddler to death. The following three laws are extracted from a listing of the 20 states that have laws against unattended children left in cars but please be aware that laws do vary from state to state. A complete listing of the 20 states and their statuary laws are found at www.kidsandcars.org/resources/state-laws/.
Florida: 316.6135 – Leaving children unattended or unsupervised in motor vehicles; penalty; authority of law enforcement officer. (1) A parent, legal guardian, or other person responsible for a child younger than 6 years of age may not leave such child unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle: (a) For a period in excess of 15 minutes; (b) For any period of time if the motor of the vehicle is running or the health of the child is in danger.
Nevada: NRS 202.575 – Leaving child unattended in motor vehicle; penalty; exception. 1. A parent, legal guardian or other person responsible for a child who is 7 years of age or younger shall not knowingly and intentionally leave that child in a motor vehicle if: (a) The conditions present a significant risk to the health and safety of the child; or (b) The engine of the motor vehicle is running or the keys to the vehicle are in the ignition, unless the child is being supervised by and within the sight of a person who is at least 12 years of age.
Texas: Codes 22.10 – Leaving a Child in a Vehicle (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly leaves a child in a motor vehicle for longer than five minutes, knowing that the child is: (1) younger than seven years of age; and (2) not attended by and individual in the vehicle who is 14 years of age or older. (b) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
In contrast, Italy was the first European country to pass a strict law against unattended children left in vehicles, and moreover, the Government has included devices in cars which will gradually decrease the cases of PVH in the country. It states that “anti-abandonment car seat technology is compulsory for those with babies and children under age four. The technology generally works by texting a reminder, via smartphone, to the device owner to check the car’s backseat for a child”.
Even though there are still improvements to be made in the legal system in the US, this is where the Rocket Innovation’s Baby Car Safe product comes in. We do not believe in luck or chances in life. We produce a product that is there to proactively reduce the possibility of PVH cases and most important of all, remind parents that their little loved ones are at the back seat. They should always be the focal point in each of the parent’s lives, and therefore, they should be the ones to be given an opportunity to grow up and experience life for years to come!
Pic:
www.kidsandcars.org/resources/state-laws/
Text:
www.kidsandcars.org/resources/state-laws/
