OT-Witnessed Driver With Child ON LAP!

[Unregistered]

What would you do?

Yesterday while at the bus stop, I witnessed a driver with a child (I am guessing around 3 years) driving with a child on their lap. As in child holding the steering wheel, in her lap. I thought "surely they must be turning into a driveway in very close proximity"...nope, they kept driving on to the main road (main road of our development, still 25 but most people go 35 since it's mostly not residential on that part, but there are streets turning off of it. There are lots of complaints about speeding on our HOA page). She may have turned off of the main road but on to her road, I don't know- it was out of my sight. Last January a 9 year old was killed sledding on a hill near(ish) to the street and got hit by a car, so accidents happen. And, we are very close to a nature preservation, so there are also lots of deer in the area.

Anyway, what would you do?

[Josiegirl]

Do you know who it was? Next time please don't hesitate to call the police right away. I doubt they'd do anything now but you could always call and ask.
People don't have a clue. 'It'll never happen to me, only the other guy' Such a naive, selfish and immature way of thinking. If you had a chance to possibly save a child, wouldn't you?

[Blackcat31]

What would you do?

Yesterday while at the bus stop, I witnessed a driver with a child (I am guessing around 3 years) driving with a child on their lap. As in child holding the steering wheel, in her lap. I thought "surely they must be turning into a driveway in very close proximity"...nope, they kept driving on to the main road (main road of our development, still 25 but most people go 35 since it's mostly not residential on that part, but there are streets turning off of it. There are lots of complaints about speeding on our HOA page). She may have turned off of the main road but on to her road, I don't know- it was out of my sight. Last January a 9 year old was killed sledding on a hill near(ish) to the street and got hit by a car, so accidents happen. And, we are very close to a nature preservation, so there are also lots of deer in the area.

Anyway, what would you do?

What I would do after the fact makes no difference.

I'm curious as to what did YOU do at the time you witnessed this?

[daycarediva]

I would have taken the plate and called 911, giving them a description of the car, driver, child and direction they were headed.

[Unregistered]

Thank you. That is what I did and gave them a description of the vehicle, time and direction they were headed. Even if it was right up the road, I just don't understand what people are thinking!

In one of my parenting facebook groups, I posted this question as a poll giving a few options- (call the cops, mind your own business, yell something at them, or not call the cops/don't feel comfortable doing so). You would not believe the backlash that was received about calling the cops saying CPS would get involved which could start an investigation and tear the family apart; people need to mind their own business, et... I didn't reveal what I did personally but I was made to feel like I did something horrible anyway!

Wouldn't a situation like this fall under mandated reporting or is that only for those in our care?

[DaveA]

Thank you. That is what I did and gave them a description of the vehicle, time and direction they were headed. Even if it was right up the road, I just don't understand what people are thinking!

In one of my parenting facebook groups, I posted this question as a poll giving a few options- (call the cops, mind your own business, yell something at them, or not call the cops/don't feel comfortable doing so). You would not believe the backlash that was received about calling the cops saying CPS would get involved which could start an investigation and tear the family apart; people need to mind their own business, et... I didn't reveal what I did personally but I was made to feel like I did something horrible anyway!

Wouldn't a situation like this fall under mandated reporting or is that only for those in our care?

There's a question as to if mandated reporter status means anything anytime or just what you see professionally. Personally I would have called the cops also. That is beyond stupidly unsafe.

As for internet blowback: Let's face it- you could open a conversation with "Hi" and 10 posts later it's a fight involving politics, religion, and a few anatomically impossible suggestions.

[daycarediva]

Thank you. That is what I did and gave them a description of the vehicle, time and direction they were headed. Even if it was right up the road, I just don't understand what people are thinking!

In one of my parenting facebook groups, I posted this question as a poll giving a few options- (call the cops, mind your own business, yell something at them, or not call the cops/don't feel comfortable doing so). You would not believe the backlash that was received about calling the cops saying CPS would get involved which could start an investigation and tear the family apart; people need to mind their own business, et... I didn't reveal what I did personally but I was made to feel like I did something horrible anyway!

Wouldn't a situation like this fall under mandated reporting or is that only for those in our care?

I wouldn't care what other people would do. I could never forgive myself if something happened to that child and I didn't make the call.

Driving like that opened them up to scrutiny and investigation.

[Blackcat31]

There's a question as to if mandated reporter status means anything anytime or just what you see professionally. Personally I would have called the cops also. That is beyond stupidly unsafe.

As for internet blowback: Let's face it- you could open a conversation with "Hi" and 10 posts later it's a fight involving politics, religion, and a few anatomically impossible suggestions.

This!

I don't understand why it makes a difference what anyone else would have done or if it falls under mandating reporting....

If I see something that is dangerous (like life threatening dangerous) or illegal then I would report it.

As a human being I could never forgive myself if I saw something dangerous (in regards to a child) and didn't report it.

[daycarediva]

Over the weekend someone locally left their child in a parked car (running) and ran into the bank because the drive through was down/being paved. The child was about 3, asleep in a car seat in the back. A teacher pulled in and called 911. They traced the plates and showed up at the mothers house. They charged her with endangering the welfare of a child and are literally raking her over the coals, her picture was on the front page of the website of our local news. EVERYONE is shaming her, doesn't she know better? Didn't she read all the horror stories of children dying because of this? etc.

I can't feel bad for her, she knows better and made a very poor choice. Either your banking can wait until Monday OR you wake your kid up and take them in with you.

[Baby Beluga]

You are always supposed to call 911 with a description of the vehicle, license plate. etc.

I know here 1 of two things will happen: parents will be pulled over and charged with child endangerment or 2) they will simply get a letter in the mail with information on child passenger safety laws and resources in the area for free or near free car seats.

ETA: there was a report yesterday of a local mom leaving her child in side the car at a car wash. One of the ones where you leave your car with the attendant, they vacuum it out, drive it through the wash and hand dry, etc while you wait inside the building. SMH.

[Pestle]

Yes, I would have called 911 with the plate info. If it's just a parenting or public behavior preference, butt out, no matter how steamed you are. If there's a strong chance somebody could end up dead, butt in.

Last year I called 911 about a homeless couple walking their shopping carts over the blind curve on a mountaintop highway with no margins--one of my coworkers lost her leg changing a tire on that highway. Have no idea whether the police picked the couple up or not, but they didn't get hit. A few days later, somebody coming around that curve didn't check her mirrors, veered into the next lane, and killed two motorcyclists. I wonder if it was just a one-time slip of mind, or if she'd always had bad driving habits and nobody ever got up in her face about it.