I’ve gone back and forth about whether to post this, but after what I witnessed today, I can’t stay silent. What I witnessed was so reckless that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.
I was sitting in my car in the pickup line at a large, popular day camp in Lakewood this afternoon when I witnessed something that honestly made my stomach drop. Two cars in front of me, an SUV began loading children for carpool.
There were so many children that I honestly couldn’t even tell how many were packed into the SUV. Then, to my absolute disbelief, four girls climbed into the trunk.
Yes, the trunk.
Not a seat. The cargo area of the SUV.
This wasn’t some hidden backyard day camp. This happened during pickup at one of Lakewood’s large, popular day camps, on a major road, in broad daylight, with parents, children, and passing traffic all around. It wasn’t hidden. It happened right out in the open.
I just sat there in disbelief.
As if that wasn’t disturbing enough, the woman in the minivan behind her got out and offered to take some of the girls in her own vehicle because she had plenty of empty seats. Instead of accepting the help, the driver refused to even roll down her window. Through the closed window she simply said, “It’s not your business. Don’t worry.”
No.
It is our business when innocent children’s lives are being put at risk.
This isn’t “making carpool work.” This isn’t “it’s only a few minutes.” This is pikuach nefesh.
One distracted driver. One sudden stop. One accident. That’s all it takes.
I left in complete shock. I couldn’t stop thinking, why do we have to wait for another tragedy to be our wake-up call? Why does it always take the unthinkable before we start taking the most basic safety precautions seriously?
Parents, if you do not have enough seats and seat belts for every child in your vehicle, then you do not have enough room to do carpool. Period. No excuses. No exceptions. Make another trip. Ask another parent for help. Leave a few minutes later. Do whatever it takes—but do not gamble with a child’s life to save a few minutes.
One more thing has weighed heavily on me. After everything happened, I spoke with the woman who had offered to help. She told me she had gone over to a head staff member to explain what was happening. According to her, the response was, “It’s not my business.”
With respect, I disagree.
Parents are ultimately responsible for getting their own children home safely, but if something this dangerous is happening in plain sight, I believe camp staff also have a responsibility to speak up. Looking the other way should never be the answer.
This isn’t about exposing or embarrassing anyone. I don’t know the driver, and I don’t want to know. This is about awareness. This is about responsibility. This is about protecting our children before another preventable tragedy occurs.
When a parent agrees to carpool, they’re trusting that their child will be brought home safely. I can’t imagine any parent believes that means riding home in the trunk of a vehicle.
If reading this post makes you uncomfortable, imagine how unbearable it would be for a parent to learn that a tragedy could have been prevented by making one extra trip. Let’s not wait for that day.
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