4 ms·

It actually is a misdemeanor in my state to leave a child unattended in a car if it's in public and there's risk of "hyperthermia, hypothermia, or dehydration."

It actually is a misdemeanor in my state to leave a child unattended in a car if it's in public and there's risk of "hyperthermia, hypothermia, or dehydration." I looked it up after a stranger hung out at my car to nag me for leaving my son (who refused to leave the car) for five minutes in a locked car in a safe neighborhood in 75f weather.

tarboreus 9y ago
75 F is not safe. Neither is 65 F. I'm not saying you did something wrong, but what your neighbor did was certainly right
- seanmcdirmid 9y ago
  It might not have been right, but it wasn't illegal either (in that state, sure it would be illegal in California). All of you would probably flip out in Denmark, where kids are left sleeping outside the cafe wrapped up in bassinets while their moms drink coffee. Supposedly the cold outdoor air helps them sleep more soundly.
  - Symbiote 9y ago
    In England, my parents regularly left me in the car while they rushed into a shop. Of course, being England in the 1990s the car didn't have air conditioning, so some windows would have been ajar. They were manual windows, so I could open them more if I wanted to.
- thedevil 9y ago
  It was a cloudy day, near sunset, low humidity, the car was slightly cooler than outside, and we were acclimated to higher temperatures. 75 was not only safe, it was comfortable.
- jMyles 9y ago
  > 75 F is not safe. Neither is 65 F. OK, I'll bite. What are you talking about?
  - jdmichal 9y ago
    Cars are ovens. The article cites a car reaching 110°F on a day in the 60's: > The high temperature that day was only in the 60s, but the biometrics and thermodynamics of babies and cars combine mercilessly: Young children have lousy thermostats, and heat builds quickly in a closed vehicle in the sun. The temperature in Balfour's car that day topped 110 degrees.
    - jMyles 9y ago
      So, a better way to say this is that 75F may not be safe. But it also may be. It's possible that the air in a car on a 75 degree day will in fact be 75 degrees.

tarboreus 9y ago

75 F is not safe. Neither is 65 F. I'm not saying you did something wrong, but what your neighbor did was certainly right

seanmcdirmid 9y ago
It might not have been right, but it wasn't illegal either (in that state, sure it would be illegal in California). All of you would probably flip out in Denmark, where kids are left sleeping outside the cafe wrapped up in bassinets while their moms drink coffee. Supposedly the cold outdoor air helps them sleep more soundly.
- Symbiote 9y ago
  In England, my parents regularly left me in the car while they rushed into a shop. Of course, being England in the 1990s the car didn't have air conditioning, so some windows would have been ajar. They were manual windows, so I could open them more if I wanted to.
thedevil 9y ago
It was a cloudy day, near sunset, low humidity, the car was slightly cooler than outside, and we were acclimated to higher temperatures. 75 was not only safe, it was comfortable.
jMyles 9y ago
> 75 F is not safe. Neither is 65 F. OK, I'll bite. What are you talking about?
- jdmichal 9y ago
  Cars are ovens. The article cites a car reaching 110°F on a day in the 60's: > The high temperature that day was only in the 60s, but the biometrics and thermodynamics of babies and cars combine mercilessly: Young children have lousy thermostats, and heat builds quickly in a closed vehicle in the sun. The temperature in Balfour's car that day topped 110 degrees.
  - jMyles 9y ago
    So, a better way to say this is that 75F may not be safe. But it also may be. It's possible that the air in a car on a 75 degree day will in fact be 75 degrees.