Leaving Kids In
Car Would Be Misdemeanor in Michigan
MIRS, May 31, 2006
Parents who leave their young children in the car would face a 93-day,
$500 misdemeanor if authorities believe the child was at risk of being
harmed by staying in the car under a pair of bills that cleared a House
committee today.
The bills, HB 5914 and HB 5915, come after frustrated law enforcement
officers and prosecutors complained to lawmakers that they've been unable
to do anything to guardians who leave their kids in a car when, absent
their intervention, the child could have suffered grave injuries.
Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCABE and Eaton County Prosecutor
Jeff SAUTER testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee today to
separate incidents in their respective jurisdiction that highlighted the
need for a new law.
In Orion Township last February, a mother went into a bar with her
boyfriend and left her baby in the backseat. Authorities estimate the
child was in the car for more than a half hour while the weather outside
was an estimated 40 degrees. Since the child wasn't harmed, there was
nothing the authorities could do about the situation outside of charging
the woman for possessing a bag of pot the cops found on her front seat.
Sauter talked about a case in July where a mother and her sister left a
four-month old inside a car parked outside the Charlotte Meijer. By the
time the mother was located in the store and brought back to the parking
lot, the child would have been in the car for 22 minutes had the baby not
been extracted earlier. At 30 minutes, the doctors at the hospital
estimate the child could have been harmed.
Rep. Steve BIEDA (D-Warren) then shared his own story. In his younger
years, he worked at a store. One day, a panicked woman came inside to
report that a 2 year old was locked inside of a car during a noticeably
hot day. Bieda said he ended up breaking a window of the car to get the
child out.
"It makes you wonder how you could be so stupid as to leave a child locked
in a car," Bieda said, adding that he believes the committee should look
at the broader issues of informing people through a public information
campaign or signs in parking lots about the dangers of leaving children in
automobiles.
HB 5914 and 5915, sponsored by Rep. Fran AMOS (R-Waterford) and Rep. David
LAW (R-Commerce Twp.) moved through the committee today unanimously.
According to the non-profit organization "Kids In Cars," 153 incidents
involving 183 children in cars have been recorded this year. Of those,
there were 22 fatalities.
Several other states, including California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and
Massachusetts have this type of law on the books.
Under the proposed legislation, if the child is hurt from being left in
the car, it's a one-year, $1,000 misdemeanor. If the child is seriously
hurt, it's a 10-year, $5,000 felony. If the child dies, it's a 15-year,
$10,000 penalty.
