It is not only dangerous, but often illegal, to leave a child unattended in a vehicle for any amount of time. This piece explains why it is never a good idea to leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even for a few minutes.

It is an increasingly common scenario: A frazzled parent leaves a child in the car seat while running errands, only to forget the child is there and then find the toddler dead in the car hours later.

Most parents, at one time or another, have been guilty of running into a convenience store “just for a minute,” and leaving a young child in a car seat, in either a parked or running car. This seemingly benign act is actually a dangerous decision that could put your children whether they are infants or of school age, at risk. It is, in fact, considered a form of child neglect, and in some cases, leaving your child unattended in a vehicle is against the law.

Why should you never leave your child unattended in a parked vehicle, even for a few minutes? What’s the harm in it, really?

Kidnappings and car thefts do occur. Although the likelihood of a stranger abduction is relatively low (Most children who are kidnapped know the abductor.), a kidnapping is sometimes accidental. An opportunistic thief may see your seemingly unoccupied vehicle and drive away with it before realizing they have an infant companion. Depending on the proclivities of the criminal, this could result in harm to your child that exceeds temporary separation from you, including abandonment or assault, either of which may lead to death.

The temperature in a parked car is higher than the air outside of it. It does not take long for the inside of a parked car to reach temperatures as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Children who are left in parked cars in the summer are literally baked to death. They are found with blisters on their bodies. It sounds like a horrible way to die, and it is.

Even if you leave the car running with the air-conditioning, an accident could occur. Gears have been known to shift out of place in parked cars that are running. Other drivers have smashed into parked cars with unattended children inside.

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