Editorial: Holding adults accountable

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 | 7:38 a.m.

The thought of one child left alone in a car to face a long-suffering death from intense heat is horrific, and the idea that emergency officials have responded to more than 2,000 Las Vegas Valley children reportedly left alone in vehicles is unthinkable.

Yet Las Vegas, Clark County and North Las Vegas firefighters told the Las Vegas Sun this week that they have been dispatched 2,171 times since January 2002 to aid children left unattended or accidentally locked in cars. That means nearly twice each day a child somewhere in this valley faced the possibility of perishing in an unspeakable manner. Seven children have died in such a manner since 2001, the most recent being 16-month-old Jozia Diaz-Beltran, who perished in July after her father forgot she was in the car.

A new law that went into effect Saturday makes it a misdemeanor for an adult to intentionally leave a child age 7 or younger unattended in a car, including times when the engine is running. If convicted, a person faces a maximum $1,000 fine and six months in jail. But a judge may suspend the fine if the offender takes a class on the dangers of leaving children unattended.

Parents who leave their children alone for "just a second" while they run inside to pay for gasoline or buy a cup of coffee are now held accountable for their actions. Those who, in the everyday confusion that sometimes comes with being a parent in our increasingly fast-moving society, accidentally leave a child unattended will not be charged.

Hopefully, the added attention brought about by holding accountable those who do make poor decisions will also help distracted adults take hold of their priorities and change their behavior before tragedy strikes.

It's too soon to know whether the new penalties will have this desired effect. Until then, we must keep a vigilant eye on the disturbing statistics that will help measure whether this new law is protecting our most vulnerable citizens. If it doesn't work, and these tragedies continue, then the Legislature should consider a tougher law that penalizes those who leave children unattended unintentionally.