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Original poster

At what age is acceptable to leave child locked in car whilst paying for petrol

81 replies

SuperWomanX4 · 26/10/2010 23:36

I personally have never left my child locked in car whilst paying for petrol as I go to ASDA which is only pay at pump. But I am curious as to what people feel is an acceptable age to leave them in the car - locked of course whilst you pay for petrol at the kiosk.

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BellasFormerFriend · 27/10/2010 00:28

I would have said YABU (if you were posting an AIBU ) for wanting to lock the car TBH, if the dc are old enough to open a door then the doors open even when locked if opened from the inside, the only thing you are stopping is someone getting in from the outside. I am pretty certain that, statistically, it is more likely that someone will need to get into a car at a petrol station to help your child than to hurt your child.

Karoleann · 27/10/2010 08:56

I;ve left both of them from being tiny. If i thought there was a risk I wouldn't do it.

ronshar · 27/10/2010 09:11

It is something I have never thought about. I have always left my children in the car. Why would you not?
All the chocoltae I would have to argue about why I'm not going to buy it. Hideous. And the extra time needed to unstrap restrap. Argue about restrapping. Forget it.

The only time I have taken a child out I got told off by the petrol lady who said that children under 16 were not allowed by the pumps!

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mummytime · 27/10/2010 09:22

I also think walking small children across a petrol station is fairly dangerous. I don't lock the car, because if I do unless they stay totally still the car alarm goes off. But mine are all big enough now to be able to get themselves out in an emergency (cause any thieves trouble).

mummynumber2 · 27/10/2010 09:29

Surely it's more dangerous when they get older as they can unstrap themselves or open the door. I'd have said it was no problem at all from new born up to the age of 2 ish. Then, depending on whether they are capable of escaping maybe it's best to take them in?

duncandisorderly · 27/10/2010 09:29

As soon as they are born. I have too many children to fuss about taking them in. It's far more dangerous taking children in than leaving them in the car

nancydrewrocked · 27/10/2010 09:31

I have always left mine in the car - What are you worried might happen?

HeadlessLadyBiscuit · 27/10/2010 09:32

As duncan says, from newborn until they can undo their seatbelts/take the handbrake off.

IHeartKingThistle · 27/10/2010 09:40

I've just started leaving mine (3.10 and 14 months) and I can't believe it never occurred to me not to take them in before! What was I doing faffing about with unstrapping them and restrapping them?!

Having said that I don't think I'd leave the little one if I had him on his own as he is very clingy and likely to scream. But together no problem at all.

RiojaLover75 · 27/10/2010 09:57

Always leave them in the car, double locked and strapped in. The car has a button you can press so that the alarm doesn't go off if they wave their arms around.

Also every fuel station I've used has CCTV and ANPR, so highly unlikely that anything is going to happen for the 30 seconds you're in the shop to pay.

lola0109 · 27/10/2010 11:30

Ok, here's a spanner in the works, I have always left my DD's in car, well since DD1 was about 6 weeks and I thought this is ridiculous! I try pay at pump when I can BUT the other day I was getting petrol and DD1 was kicking off about coming and DD2 was sleeping so I thought ok come with me, just for peace! It was one of those days!

Anyway, so I had DD1 (2yo) on my hip and I started pumping the petrol then the woman inside the (very busy) petrol station announced over the tannoy to the whole forecourt "could the woman in the polo please put her child back in the car".

I was mortified!! Everyone swing round to look and see what I was doing to DD! I then had to put a screaming DD back in the car to finish filling the car. If I hadn't already started I'd have got in car too an drove off.

So can anyone explain the reason behind this? I couldn't see any signs or anything.

It was someone different that served me once in garage otherwise I'd have asked, although I was still completely mortified!

BellasFormerFriend · 27/10/2010 11:54

Under 16s are not allowed near the pumps lola.

mejon · 27/10/2010 11:57

lola0190 - I'd imagine because with only one hand on the nozzle you're not fully in control of it and could cause a spillage. I certainly need two hands to fill my car (wimpy small hands!). To answer the OP though, I've never taken DD into the garage to pay. I made sure I could see the car at all times and with her strapped into her car seat there's no way she could get out. Now she's at school, I tend to fill up when I'm by myself.

Appletrees · 27/10/2010 12:00

"acceptable"?

Everything has to be either acceptable or appropriate these days. Very irritating.

mutable · 27/10/2010 12:07

I always take my child with me when I pay, after reading about a car that went up in flames after being filled. Infinitessimal chance, I know, but still.

I don't fill the car if I have more than 1 child with me, too much hassle. I'd rather pop out in the evening and do it when they're in bed, though tbh I usually try and go when DH or MIL is in the car with me so I can leave the children where they are.

GoreRenewed · 27/10/2010 12:08

Well I'm 45 and I've been doing it for years. HTH

Appletrees · 27/10/2010 12:11

mutable -- on the off chance that your MIL or FIL will go up with the kids? like, every cloud has a silver lining?

EsioTrot · 27/10/2010 12:13

I always leave mine 4.9 and 9 mos in the car whilst I fill up and then take them in with me whilst I pay. There's too many things that could go wrong IMHO. Even if i locked the doors DS could potentially climb into the front seat and get out of the car onto the forecourt.

It's no harder to walk across a petrol forecourt with them than across a road and I've never had an issue with the 4.9 year old pestering me for sweets...which is really odd now I come to think of it as he can be a difficult spirited child :)

I think it depends upon their ages, how busy the petrol station is and how sensible they are. I certainly wouldn't judge other people who leave their children in the car, I would just presume their children were better behaved more sensible and less clingy than mine!

hobbgoblin · 27/10/2010 12:15

I don't lock my children in the car ever as I believe that the chances of them being abducted are less than the chance of something happening to the car that might require them to be removed swiftly. Fire at petrol station for example.

wannabeglam · 27/10/2010 13:35

I do it, but something always nags at me.

For a start, there are signs up saying 'thieves buy petrol too, don't leave belongings in the car'

And they can steal a car in seconds without a key. It has happened and the car is found abandonned down the road - probably when they've seen the child in the back.

Your car could catch fire.

But...what is the likelihood? I'm probably more likely to crash driving out of the petrol station.

You have to follow your own feelings.

anonom · 27/10/2010 18:26

I know when my mum was a HV (she retired 8 years ago) she told me it was illegal to leave a child unattended in a car. Don't know if it's still true. Would be interested to hear if anybody knows.

llareggub · 27/10/2010 18:33

I've always left mine, and I leave the car unlocked. There is probably a few seconds where my back is turned and I can see the whole forecourt from the shop. There are much safer in the car.

Fayrazzled · 27/10/2010 18:47

mutable-- but I'm sure statistically you're much more likely to get knocked over on a garage forecourt than your car is likely to blow up. And if you're happy to leave your MIL/FIL in the car with the children sometimes then that suggests your fear is not actually of the car going up in flames, otherwise you'd insist everyone got out then.

I leave my children in the car while I go into the shop to pay. I think it is riskier to get them out of the car and across a busy forecourt than it is to leave them in the car.

Fayrazzled · 27/10/2010 18:48

And statistically, by far the most dangerous scenario is actually driving in the car with them but we don't all never drive round because of the risk of a car accident do we?

GingerCursedEeeee · 27/10/2010 18:54

I leave my baby but when I need to get petrol with her I go to the tiny station round the corner rather than a massive one with lots of pumps. They know me and I can always see my car.

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