Do not leave your child alone in your car, experts warn
BALTIMORE -- The next time you get in the car with your child, do not leave them inside.
Often times, parents leave their kids in the car and step out for a quick moment to pump gas or buy something at a store.
But it only takes seconds for a simple errand to go wrong and turn into a nightmare.
Earlier this week, a thief stole a car in Prince George's County and a five-year-old child was inside alone. The thief eventually dropped the child off at a shopping center nearby.
"A case like this is on the news and people think it's a freak accident," Kids and Car Safety Director Amber Rollins said. "But it's really happening a lot more frequently than people think."
This year, Kids and Car Safety counted 122 children who were left alone in a vehicle that was then stolen.
Rollins said cases tend to spike when days start to get cooler in temperature.
"People have this idea that, run in somewhere quickly and they don't want to get the baby out, put the coat on and take the coat off, and put the baby back in," she said.
But taking that extra time to get your child out of the car could save a life.
Rollins said it's a traumatic event that adults can avoid.
"It only takes a few seconds for someone to jump in your car and be gone, she said. "And these are crimes of opportunity, so these people are watching and waiting. It's just not a risk you want to take."
