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CHILD IN A HOT CAR

I really don’t know what exactly created change or forward thinking in regard to leaving a child in a hot car. Perhaps it was a slow evolution over time. When I was a kid, our Mom would leave us in the hot car for hours and go into the grocery store, with no problems. If you do something like that now, you will wind up on the Six O’Clock News, being handcuffed and hauled off to jail.  

So, are temperatures now reaching higher highs? Are car interiors now being made from materials that fuel the heat? Or perhaps kids are just not acclimated or climatized to warm conditions since they rarely go outdoors to play.

Before electric windows and locks, we had manual, crank windows and manual locks. With electric windows and locks, what if Mom took the key with her? You may be able to unlock the doors, but certainly couldn’t roll down the windows without the key. I didn’t even know that you can still purchase a car with manual locks and windows, until my daughter’s dad purchased her a brand new Toyota that way.

He claimed, if she were to lose control and drive into the lake, the electrical system could be compromised and her power windows and locks would not work. But it was because he was just cheap! This guy would dry out a used paper towel so he could reuse it. Although, it was a good save; he is a clever guy.

 So, perhaps we’re just better educated about the dangers to children left in hot cars. Or, perhaps kids are just more important than kids of my generation. You certainly don’t want to leave your car running, unattended, with or without kids in it. Leaving the air conditioning on, with the keys in the ignition may seem like a better idea than dragging tired and cranky kids into the store. But keys in the ignition and/or leaving the car running carry a hefty fine.  

 

While you may think that you will only be in there for 3 minutes, someone will inevitably write a check and you will be in there until you have grown a full beard. Because no one knows how to write a check, anymore, and no one knows how to take a check, either.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Child in a Hot Car – Comedy Defensive Driving

Daun Thompson: Daun Thompson has spent years acting in both film and theatre which has been paramount in launching her onto the comedy stage (incidentally, without a helmet, resulting in a nasty concussion). Being a funny girl is a full time job. A job that she hopes that one day will come with dental benefits and a 401K. Unlike her work, she is biodegradable, yet flame retardant. And gentle to the touch. Her goal in life??? For strangers to approach her and ask "Didn't you used to be somebody?" In the late 1980's she cut her teeth at the Velveeta Room on 6th Street in Austin, Texas ... the original room with the stripper pole. From there, she moved to northern California and worked with many comedy icons, like Mitch Hedberg, Marc Maron, Colin Quinn, Vic Dunlop, Huck Flyn, Michael Mancini, Doug Ferrari, Shang and Brian Posehn. Daun has been a licensed driver safety instructor and trainer with Comedy Defensive Driving for over 9 years. Her knowledge of driving safety laws keeps her readers informed and engaged with her blog adventures. She still continues to do stand-up comedy, sometimes in a reclining position...just to be different.