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It's illegal to leave child in car, police warn
Tuesday April 16, 2002, 10:10:04 PM
In the three summer months of 2001, 27 children died in the United States because they were left in cars that the sun turned into ovens. California did something about it. The Legislature passed a law that makes it illegal to leave a child 6 years old or younger in a car unless they are attended by someone who is at least 12 years old. The law, called Kaitlyn's Law after a Riverside girl who died in 2000 as a result being left in a car for hours, went into effect Jan. 1. Now the Bakersfield Police Department is reminding parents and people who care for children not to leave children alone in cars. "People leave their children to save a few seconds dropping off a video or picking up a gallon of milk," said Cindy London, a police community relations specialist. "I'd like them to think about how many days it would take to plan the funeral for a child or get over the death of a child." The fine for leaving a child in a car is $100. Summer months are dangerous, according to statistics London provided. An air-conditioned car, sitting in the sun on a 95-degree day can go from cool to 122 degrees in 20 minutes. According to rescue workers who recovered the body of Kaitlyn Russell, the baby died about a half-hour after she was left in the car. 
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