Don’t leave your little ones in the car
May 2nd, 2008 by Treena ShapiroOn Sunday, take a look at the full-page “monster graphic” Derrick DePledge and I are putting together to show the status of dozens of bills the 2008 Legislature considered this session.
On family related matters, though, here’s a preview:
The Legislature passed Senate Bill 2245, which makes it illegal to leave a child under nine unattended in a car for five minutes or longer.
Part of the rationale:
“(In Hawaii) four times within seven months in 2005, children were left in cars that were stolen. Since 2003, three children have died from heat stroke after being left unattended in a car by a parent or caregiver. “
– Senate Bill 2245(2008)
Rep. Marilyn Lee, who has championed the bill for seven years, sent out a press release on Wednesday celebrating passage of the bill:
“This prohibition provides one more tool with which law enforcement, firefighter, or rescue team personnel may take concrete action in protecting Hawaii’s children by allowing personnel to use whatever means necessary to protect and remove endangered, unattended children from the vehicles. Law enforcement, firefighters, or rescue team personnel will be required to immediately report this violation to the police if the guardian of the unattended child cannot be located within a reasonable time.
“In addition, there is an educational component, which requires the examiner of drivers to test license applicants for knowledge of this offense. The requirements and penalties of leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle shall be printed on a card, which shall be placed in the glove compartment of every rental motor vehicle offered to the public.”
– Hawaii State Rep. Marilyn Lee
The bill still needs to go to the Gov. Linda Lingle, who can sign it, veto it or allow it to go into law without her signature.
If you have an opinion on what she should do, you can email her at governor.lingle@hawaii.gov.
I’ll be busy with the graphic for the next couple days, then taking a few days off at the beginning of next week, so I won’t blog again until Thursday.
Tags: 2008 Legislature, children in stolen cars, death by heat stroke, Hawaii Representative Marilyn Lee, unattended children in cars
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
I don’t think you should leave any child in the car. The only child that should be left in is one that has their own drivers license. Any other child could release the parking brake, open the doors to strangers, suffer heat stroke, have amedical condition, etc. It’s just my opinion, but parents who leave their children in the car are just lazy and don’t want to care for their children. If they really cared, they would unbuckle their child and throw them in the shopping cart. Who cares if the kid is crying or making a fuss? Would they let the kid shoot up crystal meth if the kid was crying and fussing about it?
May 10th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
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