Your Children and Their Safety in Vehicles Starts With You

If you are in the habit of leaving your young children alone in a vehicle while you "run inside quickly" to pay for gas or to grab a few things that "won't take a minute", then you are putting your children in grave danger. In my opinion, it's criminal and should be dealt with harshly.

A few years ago in Independence, Missouri, only a few miles from where I live, a horrific tragedy played out that I will never forget. I have copied the story from CBS News online because I want everyone to read this story in it's entirety. If this doesn't open some eyes, I don't know what will:

"(CBS) A six-year-old child was dragged for about four miles when his mother's car was carjacked Tuesday, reports CBS affiliate KCTV.

Motorists watched in horror as the stolen vehicle sped down a highway, dragging to death the little boy who was entangled in a seat belt outside one of the doors.

Six-year-old Jake D. Robel of Blue Springs died Tuesday before the driver of the Chevrolet Blazer could be stopped by pursuing motorists. Witnesses said the chase reached speeds of 80 mph.

"Witnesses stated that they heard the juvenile victim screaming for his mother to help him," Detective Michael Skaggs said in a statement Wednesday.

"He came flying around us and we saw the kid hanging out the side of the car bouncing," said Fred Byam, who chased the Blazer. "I was honking my horn and flashing my lights."

Kim L. Davis, 34, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged Wednesday morning with second-degree murder, robbery, child abuse and kidnapping.

Police said Davis took the vehicle when Jake's mother left it running while she went inside a sandwich shop. The man tried to shove the boy out of the car, and "probably thought he'd gotten the kid out, because then he took off," Sgt. Gregg Wilkinson said.

Mother Christy Robel opened the back door to try to get her son out, the police statement said. At that point, the driver looked over his shoulder and in the rear of the vehicle.

"As he was fleeing the area, the victim was trapped against the vehicle by the seat belt as the rear door had closed, making it impossible for him to get away from the vehicle," Skaggs said in the statement.

Prosecutor Robert Beaird would not comment Wednesday about whether the man knew the child was being dragged. Asked if the murder charge might be upgraded to a first-degree charge, he said the case would be reviewed for the grand jury to determine if the evidence rises to that level.

Beaird fought back tears when he told about talking to the child's family just before his news conference. "It's pretty hard to talk to the family," he said, stopping to regain control.

Sharon Irwin watched as the suspect drove off in the stolen car.

"I turned my head and seen something dragging along the righthand side of the car," she said. "People was honking and hollering at him to stop and he just kept going."

The chase finally was stopped when motorists in two trucks and a car surrounded the 1991 Blazer at a stoplight.

The man got out of the stolen vehicle, saw the boy's body and mumbled "something like `I didn't do that,'" said Brad Byam, one of two brothers who pursued the Blazer in their truck.

Witnesses said the motorists wrestled the man to the ground and waited for police to arrive; they also tied the man's legs with a rope.

"He was going to leave; he was going to run off," said John Rodgers. "They sat on him and held him until police got there. There was a woman trying to beat hi, and they held her off until police arrived."

Beaird said the people who stopped the vehicle are seen as heroes. "They saw something that had to be stopped and they stopped it," he said.

An 11-year-old boy from one of the pursuing vehicles later took a blanket and placed it over the victim, whose clothes had been mostly torn off.

Wednesday, a four-foot cross with flowers and a stuffed baby lamb stood at the corner where the chase ended."

When I read this article again, I couldn't stop crying. This did NOT have to happen. Though my heart goes out to this beautiful young boy's mother for her loss, another part of me wants to slap and strangle her. Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence. How many of you reading this has EVER left a child alone in the vehicle while running inside to pay for gas? To grab a quick bite to eat? To go to the bathroom?

Whether the vehicle is running, not running, locked up tight, not locked, keys are in the car, keys are NOT in the car, and whether you can see your child the whole time or whether you cannot...

NEVER EVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE IN A VEHICLE!

Yea, I know, it's such a hassle when you've got a little one strapped in a car seat and all you need to do is run in and pay for gas. You're only going to be a minute, perhaps only seconds. That is all the time a criminal needs to steal your car or take your child. You might as well put a nice big bulls eye on your car if you're going to leave your child unattended. There are opportunists out there everywhere who are looking for YOU to screw up. It is happening everyday and yet people are not getting the message.

Let me tell you something. I raised four daughters by myself. They were all born within five years. I also worked full-time. Needless to say, when my girls were small I was constantly busy and exhausted. At one point I had three kids in car seats or booster seats and another in a seat belt. I had a very small car but managed to have all my girls strapped in. When it came time to pay for gas or go to the store for groceries, I took my girls inside with me. Yes, it was a hassle, yes it took more time to get things done, and yes I was often frazzled from all the strapping in, unstrapping, strapping in, unstrapping. So what. My children relied on me to make the right decisions to keep them safe and I was not going to take a chance, EVER, by saving myself a few minutes...or the hassle. I was not the perfect mom and I certainly had my flaws, but when it came to leaving my children in a vehicle unattended at a young age, I never compromised.

As I mentioned above, I also made sure my kids were strapped in with seat belts. Again, there was no compromising with this issue. I want to share an article from the Florida AP I found online. I heard about this terrible accident earlier this week and many of you may already know about it. However, this is yet another tragedy that could easily have been avoided:

"MANATEE, Fla. -- Authorities say a 12-year-old girl died after she was thrown from a vehicle on an Interstate 75 overpass and fell to a busy street below.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that a Ford Expedition was heading south through Manatee County Wednesday morning when a tire separated and caused the crash. The girl was laying down in the back without a seat belt and was ejected from the sport utility vehicle through a side window. She landed on U.S. 301, which runs under I-75.

The girl was transported by helicopter to a St. Petersburg hospital, where she later died.

The crash is still under investigation and charges are pending."

Your children are precious beings and depend on you to do the right things to keep them safe. We can't prevent every bad act, every freak accident, every crime committed, but we can take measures to lessen the chances of something terrible happening to our children. There are simply no excuses for leaving young children unattended in vehicles. There are simply no excuses for allowing your children to ride in a vehicle without being properly restrained. You might as well let them go play in traffic if their lives aren't that important to you. While you're at it, go let them play on the roof, too.

My kids are all grown now and they automatically reach for their seat belts when they climb into a vehicle. My oldest daughter has a beautiful little girl who is under two years old and she wouldn't THINK of leaving her for one second alone in a car. By doing all you can to keep your children safe you just may be keeping your grandchildren and great-grandchildren safe, as well. Good habits have a way of rubbing off on others for a lifetime. Bad habits, unfortunately, can rub off on others just as well.

I believe anyone who refuses to safely restrain their children or who leaves them unattended in vehicles should face very stiff penalties. Perhaps watching a film of real-life accidents showing the consequences of what can happen in these situations should be the first punishment. You don't even want to know some of my other suggestions!

It's time to stop taking driving for granted and to realize that there are very real dangers out there. It's time to start putting your children first. It's time to be held accountable if you don't.