Protect Your Children-In and Around Cars

New law protects kids left in cars
Tyler Wing reports Posted: Nov 16, 2008 07:43 PM EST

A new Tucson City ordinance targets parents caught leaving their child in a car. The new law went into effect Saturday and imposes a fine up to $1000.
Advocates say leaving children alone inside cars for any amount of time can lead to serious health risks.
Last year the Tucson Fire Dept. says it responded to 242 calls of kids left in cars. Tucson Police say they've relied on "child endangerment" laws to punish parents but there were a lot of gray areas. Officer Linda Galindo says that gray area is now gone.
"There are state statutes that have covered this type of thing but this one is much more specific," says Galindo.
Galindo says this new law is designed to be a "wake up call" for any parent not making this a priority.
"The majority of the time we get reports. There are a lot of concerned citizens out there," she says.
Father Javier Balderas is one of those concerned citizens. "I can't even think about how they forget their kids. It's your kids!"
He says the punishment still isn't harsh enough to send a message. "I think a fine is not enough. I think they have to be jailed or something."
Mother of three, Maria Valenzuela agrees. "I think a $1000 fine is too low," she says.
Mother of four Maria Ramirez says it's a shame the city has to create a new law to remind some parents to pay more attention to their kids.
"That's horrible. It's really hot in the summer here and children could die really fast," says Ramirez.
Galindo says even the best parents should get in the habit of creating reminders. "Such as maybe put their purse in the back seat with the child or an item they're definitely not going to leave the car without."
In lieu of a $1000 fine parents can opt for 24 hours worth of parent education classes.
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