Monday, July 28, 2014

Absent-mindedness or Laziness? Thoughts on "Hot Car" Deaths


In the news recently, there have been a string of "hot car" related deaths of children. I'm not sure if this is a case of the news hyping up something that has always been going on, or if these types of deaths really are becoming more frequent. But, either way, really? Here's an example of some of the stories in the news right now:
Wichita, KS
North Richmond Hills, TX
Atlanta, GA
Lancaster, SC
Ridgefield, CT
Ardmore, OK
Centuria, WI
El Paso, TX
Those are just a few examples of cases in the last month. My biggest question is, how?  First off, you have nine whole months of preparation, of knowing you have a kid before it's even born! And most of these children are more than six months old. So, on top of that nine months, you had another 6+ to get used to having a kid and taking it out of the car. And then, one day, you just up and forget the last year or so of your life? So, is it malice, absent-mindedness, or just pure laziness? I know there has been a few times, when I want to run into 7-11 real quick, and I've been tempted to leave Dahlia in the car, but I don't. Hot cars aside, what about kidnappers? Kids have gotten abducted out of their driveways, so you're going to leave your kid in a parking lot? Anyway, it really doesn't take long for a car to become uncomfortable and some of these parents are leaving their kids in the car for hours. One case that I linked above, the child was left in the car overnight!! Where did these parents think their kid was all night?!? This Texas police officer made a video of himself in a hot car and he wanted to leave after 30 minutes, but forced himself to stay inside. Here's an interview with him about the video:


I feel preventing this from occurring is a responsibility set squarely on the shoulders of the parents. But, of course, not everyone feels this way. Many feel it's the responsibility of the auto manufacturers; "Death in Hot Cars: Why Can't the Automakers Prevent the Danger?" To which I say, bullshit. That's like blaming the company that manufactured your spoon for making you fat. The spoon company didn't do it, your eating habits did (unless you have a legitimate health problem, of course, but still, not the spoon's fault). Preventing these deaths is as simple as pulling your head out of your ass. So, my question to you is, do you think this is just a case of journalistic sensationalism, or are these deaths really on the rise? Leave your opinions in the comments below!

2 comments:

  1. I think it is probably a little of both. It's like back when that cute guy you liked drove a green Civic; before you liked him, you didn't notice green Civics - but now that you do, suddenly! green Civics everywhere. What with news sites linking to other stories on the same subject, what used to be a local story, isn't anymore.
    Then too the weather is different, hotter, and that makes it even more dangerous. But that's unlikely to get peoples' attention until it's too late. Climate change is happening, even if people don't yet fully realize the impacts of it.
    Good balanced post!

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  2. Definitely! I think I've actually read about that before. People believe that crime has gotten worse since way back, but we just have more mediums to hear about it. I do agree on climate change, it does feel like Summers are way hotter and Winters are way colder... Hopefully, with all this in the news so often, people will look twice before they walk away from their cars!
    Thank you so much for the feedback! :)

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