Can I be arrested if I leave my child alone in a car while I run an errand?

Can I be arrested if I leave my child alone in a car while I run an errand?

Stephanie Tombrello (Child Passenger Safety Educator & Executive Director, SafetyBeltSafe USA) gives expert video advice on: What are the basic car safety rules that every child should learn?; How can I keep my child from misbehaving in the car while I drive?; Can my vehicle's sunroof or power windows injure my child? and more...

In some states, you can definitely get a ticket if you leave a child, under a certain age, alone in a motor vehicle. In virtually any state, if the officer believes that this is a case of child endangerment, you can be charged. Then it will be up to the court to decide what happens. So, the major thing is to think about what could happen if your child were alone in the vehicle and something happened to you. You forgot about them because something distracted you, or something happened to you that you didn't anticipate and you couldn't get back to the vehicle. So, take the few moments that it is to unbuckle the child and take the child with you.