London - A quarter of parents admit leaving their children alone in a car while they nip off on an errand.
Even those as young as five are sometimes left unattended, with the average parent not returning for 22 minutes.
Younger couples are particularly prone to leaving their children in the car – with 42 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds confessing they have done so.
Alarmingly, one in four of this group did it because they “forgot” their children were there. And one in six admitted to locking them in as a punishment.
Around 2 000 parents of all ages were quizzed in the research. It found 24 percent had left their children unattended in a vehicle.
This indicates that more than 8 million adults may have done so nationwide. The findings are concerning because children left alone in cars are at risk of accidents, for example if they release the handbrake.
Many parents also return to find their car interiors damaged, alarms going off and their children having “fist fights”. The research found fathers are the most “relaxed”, leaving youngsters unattended for as long as 27 minutes. Mothers appeared slightly more “responsible”, nipping out for a maximum of 17 minutes.
Parenting expert Richard Curtis called the survey results “shocking”. He said: “There are a number of hazards that could pose a risk to children in an unattended vehicle, plus, as this report shows, siblings will often bicker or fight.”
Jason Banwell of Kwik Fit Insurance Services, which carried out the survey, said: “To avoid the chaos that may take place whilst children are unattended, take care not to leave them for too long and too often.”
The research found “doing a quick task” was the most common reason for leaving children unattended, followed by letting a sleeping child stay in the car and doze.
Lawyers say it is an offence to “neglect or abandon a child under the age of 16 for whom a parent or carer has responsibility”. But the law is unclear on what exactly amounts to abandonment.
Daily Mail