She called security on me for toddler in car.... WTF??

[JustWantedPetrol]

Left my toddler in the car to pay for petrol - I could see him while paying - and a stupid woman called security cause my 3yo was crying and shouldn't be left in car...... Eh??
WTAF? She's never seen parents leave kids in the car to pay for petrol? WTF is that about?

I think people are rather naive about the risk of fire in this thread.

I think people are rather naive to think that is the only risk.

Can posters stop saying "Just use pay at pump!" and assume everyone has that option? There are no local petrol stations near me that are pay at pump.

Not a chance I'm getting 2 under 2 out of the car when I pay for petrol. I personally don't know of any driving parent who doesn't leave them in the car. I can't carry two young children, my handbag and related crap into a petrol station safely.

hibbledobble

1,732 people died in road traffic accidents last year

0 people died in petrol forecourt fires

Yet you are worried about the latter?!?

Stinky I totally agree, I live in a big city and I only know of one pay at the pump, which is 10 miles away.
I have never seen anyone take their DC in to pay,
but I am also on the lazy bastards thread so they might send their 5 year olds in alone

Agree with HildaOg

I have never seen anyone take a small child into a petrol station to pay for petrol. When my two were little I left then in the car because it never occurred to me to do otherwise. And I didn't lock the door because once the car was locked any movement in the car triggered the alarm.

As others hsve said, it's only on MN that you come across people who take three under 4s into a petrol station to pay. Surely trying to get them all back into their car seats is far more dangerous than leaving them.in the car in the first place?

coconut I am aware of the risks of both.

No fatalities does not mean no injuries.

there is no way in hell I am taking my 6,5,3 and 3 week old in to pay for petrol. It would take me longer to get them all out of the car and into the shop than it would to take me to pay!

I honestly can't think where my nearest petrol station with pay at pump is since we moved. I had the option down South but not round here. WhenDS was wee I was almost never out the house without him, so it's not necessarily as simple as get petrol when the kids are elsewhere or pay at pump.

You can't pay at pump if you also want a Mars bar.

hibble

But if you're prepared to drive then surely the petrol station risk is minuscule in comparison, not to mention the risk of being run over on the forecourt.

It's a bit like smoking 60 a day but being worried that 10 minutes of sun in December will give you skin cancer!

@hibbledobble
If leaving a child in a car on a forecourt is worthy of calling security due to the miniscule risk of fire, I assume the act of driving the child to the petrol station, and indeed out of it again, merits a 999 police call due to the relatively high risk of injury or death from driving incidents.

Ah, Used - I lock the doors and yes if little man moves about three alarm goes off... but what I do is, instead of facing forward to the front of the queue, I face out. Looking directly at my car. As soon as the indicators start flashing I turn the alarm off and re-alarm!

I had 3 kids under the age of 3 at one point (1 + twins), There was no way I could take all 3 to pay. I would have had to get the pram and all. As long as you can see them, it shouldn't be a problem. However, some petrol stations have shops attached and the line of sight is not good. It is concerning that someone was looking into the car and had time to call security. If I had seen someone looking into my car, I would of quickly gone back.

coconut you have a very strange way of assessing risk.

I try to make whatever daily activities we do have minimal risk to the children: that includes having extended rear facing seats, and not leaving them alone in a petrol station forecourt. Just because I am aware of one risk (fire in petrol station forecourts) does not mean I am not aware of other risks (eg road traffic accidents).

I think it may be safer for some people to never leave the house

cheval has solved my problem, I shall drive from Scotland to Watford to fill my car up and avoid leaving my DC in the car, in full view for about a minute and a half!

love MNetters! Not a million year in the UK would I take my dc out to pay for petrol

Justkeepswimmingg seriously I don't think it would matter if the child was in the car or with you, if a petrol station explodes your all fucked! God these threads make me laugh.

I think it may be safer for some people to never leave the house

No! Houses catch fire too! Have you any idea how many house fires there are each year! I make sure my family live in fire-proof asbestos huts.

Jeez, some very highly strung people on this thread. Stop worrying about things that will never happen and chill out.

Let's all be honest here though.

Risk this, risk that....the greatest risk is of me exploding in stress getting those three out and into a place full of sweets and magazines and back into the car while struggling with the 4L of milk we needed to grab.

Compare that to closing the door on the noise and repetitive whys for 3 blissful minutes while I use my arms freely to hoike through my bag for my wallet.

I'm not thinking about forecourts or kidnappers or which is riskier. Though it's a better argument than 'bringing them is hell on earth and takes 6 times as long'.

hibbledobble

I believe concerning myself with negligible risks increases anxiety which in turn increases the risk of poor health.

I read a book where a car was stolen with a baby inside it whilst parent was paying for petrol. Yes, it was fiction, but I only ever went to pay at the pump afterwards!