15 MINUTES TOO LONG? What Florida Law Says About Leaving Kids Unattended in Cars
Even with summer behind us, certain tragic stories still linger. Every summer, we hear horrific stories on the news about children who have died after being left alone in a hot car. When it comes to the safety of your child in a vehicle, you can never be too cautious. In Florida, the law allows children to be left unattended for up to 15 minutes. Specifically, under Florida Statutes Section 316.6135, you are legally allowed to leave your child under 6 years of age in your motor vehicle for a period of up to 15 minutes. It may not sound like it, but in a car — especially a hot car — 15 minutes is a long time. It only takes a matter of minutes for a car to heat up, even in the fall. Don’t let outside temperatures fool you. Stanford University researchers monitored a car in 70-degree weather and found that the interior temperature rose to 96 degrees. Further research published in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics noted that 80 percent of the increase in interior temperature happened within the first 30 minutes of the vehicle being turned off. Coming back to Florida’s statute, there is a confusing subsection that states you are not allowed to leave your child in the car while the engine is running. This statute is clearly outdated, as most cars have the ability to run idle without any
danger of the car being placed into gear. It’s important for the legislature to allow cars to remain running to allow for air conditioning, which helps to ensure the safety of children and pets. There is a new law being drafted. This summer, lawmakers looked at shortening the period of time a child can be left in the car, if not eliminating the time period altogether. However, what lawmakers failed to address is the issue of keeping the vehicle turned on, which can prevent heat exhaustion.
Cooking With Ashley MEME CORNER
Instructions 1. Place whole chicken breasts in the bottom of slow cooker. 2. Dump the can of pumpkin, 1/2 cup of water, diced apples, and spices into the pot on top of the chicken. 3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 5-6 hours. 4. When you’re ready to eat, take a fork and pull apart the chicken breasts (chicken will be very tender). 5. Allow the shredded chicken to sit in the pot on warm for about 10 minutes to soak up all of the juices. ***Serve over rice of your choice*** Slow Cooker Pulled Pumpkin Chicken Ingredients • 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts • 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin • 2 apples of your choice, chopped • 1/2 cup water • 2 teaspoons chili powder • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg • Pinches of salt, cumin and oregano
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