Is forgetting your child in a hot car a uniquely American phenomenon?

[hunt4genetics]

I have searched the internet using various search engines and have not found 1 article about a hot car death occurring outside of the US.


The sun shines on the entire planet. What factors make this an American thing?

Since this is an international web site please feel free to chime in if hot car deaths of children happen in your country. (Maybe it is just under reported)


Sorry for this morbid thread.
The planet is hot, why does this tragedy seem to effect 1 country to a high degree? What factors do you think contribute to this?


Peace

 

[Hermanthegerman]

No, it´s a world wide Problem.

 

[Amynamous]

I agree this thread could become very morbid. I am curious what the penalties are around the globe.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Mostly idiot drivers broil their dogs in cars over here in the UK - but occasionally you do hear about people having to break into hot cars that kids have been left in - probably not so many since we don't get so many boiling hot days in any given year - The more sunny/hot the climate - the more of this sort of thing happens I presume.

 

[dufous]

These deaths increased after US laws required children to ride in the back seat.

 

[CannaRed]

Good point dufous.
I would think that it also increased after air conditioning became the norm. Most always ride around with their windows up.

 

[OranguTrump]

I'm appalled by the suggestions to "leave something important in the back seat with the kids - thereby reducing chances of accidentally leaving children behind". WTF? If your phone or laptop mean more to you than your actual begats, then maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't have kids.

Happens here in Canuckadia a fair bit.

 

[hunt4genetics]

I'm appalled by the suggestions to "leave something important in the back seat with the kids - thereby reducing chances of accidentally leaving children behind". WTF? If your phone or laptop mean more to you than your actual begats, then maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't have kids.

Happens here in Canuckadia a fair bit.

Quick question OT since you brought up, Canada, here is another morbid question... Not trying to be a bummer but is "Cold Car deaths" a thing? Does frost bite come on as quick as the heat of a triple digit day?

Peace.

 

[OranguTrump]

Quick question OT since you brought up, Canada, here is another morbid question... Not trying to be a bummer but is "Cold Car deaths" a thing? Does frost bite come on as quick as the heat of a triple digit day?

Peace.

I can't recall any in particular, but I wouldn't be surprised. Death by cold is supposed to be fairly painless - you just drift off to sleep. Not sure if it has the dramatic temp range like locked in hot car.

 

[Fred Sanford]

I think the act of leaving kids in the car should be criminal. How the fuck do you forget you have kids with you? I managed to raise 4 of them, stoned the whole time, drunk half of the time, and never even came close once to forgetting them in the car. It's just unforgivable.

 

[Capt.Ahab]

It seems as though parents leaving the tots in the car and going into the casino is a recurring theme.

I remember reading about someone who left the kid on the car roof and drove away. Someone found him in his car seat perfectly fine in the middle of the road.

 

[Green Squall]

Twice this summer, I read about cops who left their K-9's to die a slow death in hot cars, shocking fellow handlers. They probably only got a slap on the wrist.

What pisses me off is that it's legal to use force i.e. break a window to save a child in a hot car, but not an animal, except in only a few States. I would still do it anyways. Fuck their window.

 

[armedoldhippy]

It seems as though parents leaving the tots in the car and going into the casino is a recurring theme.

I remember reading about someone who left the kid on the car roof and drove away. Someone found him in his car seat perfectly fine in the middle of the road.

saw a woman pulling out at local mall once with baby in car seat on roof. i honked my horn & pointed, and she jumped out with the car still moving...

 

[Green Squall]

saw a woman pulling out at local mall once with baby in car seat on roof. i honked my horn & pointed, and she jumped out with the car still moving...

Reminds me of this story...

 

[billy_big_bud!]

interesting topic and a phenomenon i cant quite wrap my head around...? children(and pets) are among the things we theoretically value the most on the planet. if your child were kidnapped we wouldnt hesitate to put a million dollars in a briefcase and drop it off at the ransom drop location. yet the very same person would not for a second consider leaving a briefcase with a million dollars in the back seat of their car. i just dont understand the lapse in common sense???

 

[Brother Nature]

I can imagine this happens a lot of places, but I only do ever hear news stories from the states about it. When I lived in California I was once out skateboarding with some friends and we came across a car, windows completely rolled up, that had a screaming child in it. We got him to open the door and we went to find out where his parents were, turned out his mum was in the local tattoo shop (which they also sold meth out of), getting a fucking tattoo while spun out of her mind. She went off on us for bringing her child into the shop, but luckily the shops owner was reasonable and let the child stay while his mum got her tattoo done. Was pretty eye opening.





Here in NZ we seem to have a large issue with people backing over their children playing in the yard, seems to be a news story on it every month or so. It seemed odd to me when I first moved here but then when I drive people around a lot of them think it's odd that I actually turn my head to look behind me when backing up instead of just using the mirrors. Apparently, there was a time where driving instructors here told drivers to try to use the rear view mirrors exclusively while backing up.