I would like to share my story, and how the letter about technology to alert parents could really help even the most vigilant parents. I am writing because I lived through exactly the kind of scare that letter described, and I know firsthand how easily it can happen to anyone.

I used to drive my daughter’s carpool for 4th grade. At the time, I had a 12 passenger vehicle. One cold winter morning, I picked up all 5 kids for carpool, just like I did every day. We had a long 45 minute ride to school. Anyone who has driven a morning carpool knows the routine: the chatter, the backpacks, the rush to get everyone there on time.

We arrived at school, the kids opened the door, and everyone got out. Or so I thought. I drove the 45 minutes back home, assuming the morning had gone exactly as it always did.

When I walked in, I was greeted by a phone call. BH, the school called me and asked if “Shira” was in carpool. I said, yes, I picked her up. They then said, “Please check your car, she isn’t in school….”

With a racing heart, I ran out and checked my whole van. Lo and behold, this 4th grader had fallen asleep in the back seat of my 12 passenger, and I never realized she didn’t get out when all the other kids left. She had been sitting in my driveway the entire time.

BARUCH HASHEM, it resolved just fine. It was winter, so the car never became dangerously hot, and if and when the child would have woken up on her own, she was old enough to open the door and get out of the car herself.

But I can’t stop thinking about how easily different it could have been. Had it been a hot summer day instead of a cold winter morning, had it been a younger child, a toddler strapped into a car seat who couldn’t free herself, this story could have ended in unimaginable tragedy. I was an attentive, experienced carpool driver. I counted on the kids getting out together like they always did. And it still happened to me.

That is exactly why the technology mentioned in that letter matters. No parent or driver thinks it can happen to them, until it does. A simple alert system that reminds a driver to check the back seats could be the difference between a frightening phone call and a devastating one. If my story convinces even one person to take this seriously, it was worth sharing.

Thank you.

Signed,
Shoshanah

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