Why Not to Leave Your Kid in the Car

By Marcus Gilmer in News on May 14, 2009 5:40PM

A woman and a tow truck driver are learning the hard way what happens if you're not careful about leaving kids in cars. According to the AP:

Police Spokesman Daniel O'Brien says 36-year-old Felicia Nwankwo and Alsip resident Naji Zaareir have been charged with endangering the health and welfare of a child. He says Nwankwo parked the car in a laundromat lot Monday and left the boy in the backseat while she got food at a restaurant across the street.

O'Brien says there was a sign in the lot that warned cars would be towed.

Police say 42-year-old Zaareir didn't inspect the car before he towed it. He later called authorities when he found the child sleeping in a car seat.

We're not necessarily going to pass judgment on all people who leave their kids in the car. After all, that happened to us frequently, yet our parents were responsible: we were old enough to behave, we were responsible enough, and our parents never put us in harms way (i.e., leaving us in the car as toddlers in the heat of summer). But this is ridonkulous: be responsible, people.