Editorial: Protecting child passengers

Sunday, May 6, 2007 | 7:05 a.m.

The national news last week brought the tragic story of a 1-year-old boy in Chattanooga, Tenn., who died from the heat after being left alone in a car. The father had dropped off his three other children at school before parking and heading in to work, leaving the toddler in his car seat.

Police reported they charged the father with negligent homicide, but added: "The punishment is done regardless of what happens in court. He is torn up. He reacted the way a parent should react who has lost a child."

With heat a constant this time of year, we hope that the boy's death and the father's grief are remembered here by all parents and guardians.

What happened in Chattanooga has happened many times here. The Legislature has attached penalties to such tragedies even when they are unintentional. Nevertheless, parents and guardians continue to forget.

Then there are the adults who intentionally - and unconscionably - leave children in cars. Some do it for a few minutes while paying for gas. Others do it for hours while patronizing a bar or casino. If caught doing this, they can be prosecuted for felony child endangerment or child neglect. The penalty in the case of death or injury can be as much as life in prison.

There are ways to protect against unintentionally leaving a child in a car. A good method is developing a constant habit, whether there's a child present or not, of checking all passenger seats after parking the car. A backup plan could be a routine e-mail or call from a family member, checking on the child.

Statistics show that this tragedy can happen to even the best parents and guardians. We hope everyone decides - today - upon some reliable method to protect their child passengers.