Petrol filling and kids in car

[nosleepforme]

I’m not a driver.
BUT if you fill up petrol and have to pay inside the kiosk, do you need to take your kids in with you? I’d say no. I don’t think that’s called leaving them in the car. I think dh can lock the car a min and pay.
aibu?

yabu = you must remove/unstrap kids and walk across floor to pay
yanbu = who takes kids to pay at the petrol station.

I think wrestling two kids out of car seats, herding them across a busy forecourt with cars moving around, into the shop, then back across the forecourt and back into car seats is far more risky than leaving them in the car for a minute or so to pay inside, and pretty pointless. But that’s my evaluation of risk; other people will view it completely differently. No right answer, just what someone believes is right for them.

I always took my kids with me. (But usually filled the car on journeys when they weren’t with me)

It’s not about the children being in danger of being stolen. It’s about the danger of the car/other cars/the forecourt going on fire.

Petrol is pretty dangerous, I wouldn’t leave my kids locked in a car they couldn’t get out of.

I don’t understand what people think will happen by leaving the kids in the car. As long as you lock it, that’s surely safer than walking across a busy forecourt.

They think there a risk they could be locked in the car during a massive fire

I always take them out. My head is filled with petrol station fires from movies.

Neither of your votes is reasonable. It's not a necessity to take them in, nor is it crazy to do so.

I only ever used pay at pump and on the very rare occasions that wasn't possible I did take them in when very small as locking the car would have meant movement set off the alarm and they would have been scared.

These days at 8 and 10 if I couldn't get to a pay at pump one I would probably leave them

But what if a crazed drug addict with a sawn off shotgun bursts into the shop and starts spraying bullets around…like in the movies?
😱

Pay at Pump is the answer.

There’s a risk with everything
leave them in the car risk of fire not impossible but extremely rare if not unheard of
cars moving round all the time so the risk of this is far greater

Then Bruce Willis would come and save us so that would be fine.

It depends on all sorts of factors. The age of the kids. The time of day. The physical set up of the forecourt and shop. Whether you can see your car clearly when you go in. How sensible your kids are. Are you just paying for petrol or shipping? Is there a massive queue? There’s no yes or no answer, it’s just judgment based on the facts at the time.

The suggestion that you shouldn’t do it because the car or petrol station might catch fire is ludicrous. You might as well not then go out in case they’re struck by a meteor.

I never took mine out. Although I would have done if there was a queue or I needed to buy something.

I'd tend to make a point of filling up when my husband/someone else is there. There are still stations that don't have pay at pump.

I'm in the US, but I always took my kids in with me if I went inside. I usually pay at the pump.

https://www.kidsandcars.org/car-theft/facts

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/texas-mom-tracked-childs-phone-after-car-stolen-houston/507-33b91ade-6209-4056-9d79-15b1ff504237

Of course! I forgot about a hero in a vest that every petrol station keeps instead of fire extinguishers!

I can’t find any statistics on fires at petrol stations, but obviously it is still a massive risk.

Risk assessment 101: what is impact, what is likelihood.

Leaving in car: kidnapping - extremely extremely unlikely, almost never happens. Petrol station fire - extremely extremely unlikely almost never happens, unclear that would be safer outside of car if petrol station on fire. Choking on random thing found in car - unlikely

Taking out of car to pay: slip, trip or fall - likely, inhalation of petrol fumes - likely, collision with motor vehicle - unlikely but does happen, shelf collapsing in petrol station and crushing child - unlikely, choking on fly - unlikely.

Overall lowest risk: in my view leaving in car.

I think you mean 'would have a big impact'. The actual likelihood is very very very low, as indicated by the lack of stats about petrol station fires, because they don't really happen.

So not a massive risk really as will almost never occur

Taking kids in is a lot more dangerous than leaving them in the car.

Though as a kid I always wanted to go in with my mum as I often managed to persuade her to buy me a treat while we were lining up to pay 😂

Oh my, has it been 10 minutes already since the last time we had this thread 😂

@nosleepforme check out the probably thousands of times this has come up and you will find that some people leave their children in the car some people don't and neither camp will be persuaded by the other to change their ways.

Personal preference all the way, no rules

Far, far too pragmatic for a MN risk assessment

I'm on team Bruce Willis

Not this old chestnut yet again. YAWN.

I brought mine in until they were maybe 6 or 7. I’m not sure what’s dangerous about that; it’s not like I opened the car door and let them run across the forecourt.

Because they're more likely to slip on petrol or get hit by a car than they are to come to any damage in a locked car.

Sorry but if they’re not young to be anywhere alone a petrol station is no different- the car could get rear ended by another, they could get a fright or decide to come in after you. We’re supposed to be responsible for our children, that means not just leaving them when it doesn’t suit

I just pay at the pump