Bill means to curb leaving kids in cars

The House voted for a bill Monday that would make it a crime to leave a child unattended in a vehicle.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, makes it unlawful to leave a child younger than 9 alone in a car if a reasonable person would believe the child is at risk. Leaving the engine running or keys in the car with a child would also be against the law.

The bill would make an exception if the driver has a line of sight to the car. That means if someone runs into the dry cleaner but can still see his or her car in the parking lot, the bill wouldn’t apply, said Rep. Alice Graham Underhill, a New Bern Democrat and sponsor of the bill.

"This is if you go to the grocery store and stay there for an hour," Underhill told House members Monday.

More after the jump.

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First offenses would come with a warning. Second offenses would be a misdemeanor. The bill would allow judges to send offenders to a class that would focus on the dangers of leaving a child in a car.

North Carolina would be the 16th state to have such a law, said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Cars, a Kansas nonprofit that advocates for laws on leaving children alone in cars.

Last year 42 children in the U.S. died when they were left in hot cars.

"I don’t think people truly understand how dangerous it is," Fennell said.