3 yr old drives down FL highway

[+susieice]

This is outright scary!! Good thing this kid didn't get hurt.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/30924910/fla-toddler-found-driving-power-wheels-on-highway#.VpFqFlRdWwc

[freetoroam]

Do they keep those cars indoors? ....theres the first mistake.

[XenoFish]

Those things are loud. How did the dad not hear it? I think the dad's an idiot.

[freetoroam]

Those things are loud. How did the dad not hear it? I think the dad's an idiot.

I do believe he was very likely having a very noisy dump after closing the door and leaving his child alone on another room........mistake number 2.

or is it mistake number 2`s?

[XenoFish]

Leaving a 3 year old alone is like a tornado in a trailer part. Never leave them alone.

[Daffy123]

The kid probably still drove better than most people in my town...

[pallidin]

No fear from that 3-yr old.

NASCAR is in his future... if he stays alive long enough.

And dad, shame on you. Suppose a lot can happen even while being a good parent though.

[+susieice]

The kid probably still drove better than most people in my town...

...love this! So true!!

[Ashotep]

Sometimes you only have to turn your back for a minute and they are gone.

Happy people stopped and got involved or this could have turned out much different.

[freetoroam]

No fear from that 3-yr old.

NASCAR is in his future... if he stays alive long enough.

And dad, shame on you. Suppose a lot can happen even while being a good parent though.

Tis true, even accidents can happen with good parents, but this was a bit different. He did not turn his back on the tot for a few minutes, he was in a separate room while his 3 year old was in the sittingroom, used his car to climb on to to open the front door, (that still baffles me)then got into his car and then drives onto the road....and were was daddy? losing half his weight on the karsey.

[Redefining Success]

Its hard to watch them ALL the time, my 4 year old is down stairs while I'm putting 18 month old down for a nap.

He isn't the adventurous type, all doors are locked and powered vehicles are in the garage.

Glad it ended well.

[MissJatti]

tots may look and act dumb, but they are more intelligent than many adults realize.

this 3 year old opened the front door, got on his car, and drove on a road, like an adult would do.

[Nnicolette]

Some of you guys are ridiculous and obviously dont have kids. Sure you dont just leave them alone but do you think that you stop using the bathroom when you become a parent? Its hard enough just to get a shower. And no powerwheels arent that noisy the little whir they make could easily be missed its not like the sound of a car starting or anything. I am so thankful my yard is so big and closed in ive had a three year run out while in the shower it happens and no thats not neglect. Really tho you think its being a bad parent not to take your children to the bathroom with you freetoroam? You clearly have never been a single parent. I could be wrong but this probably wasnt neglect just a smart sneaky escape artist.

Also not everyone has the luxory of parking thier car indoors tou are assuming a lot. My power wheels sits in the yard is that neglectful too? Why it was a straightshot to the road and freeway though that is a good question they really need a fence.

[Ashotep]

I have to agree with Nnicolettte, you can be a good parent and still have something like this happen especially when there is only one person there. Its not like he was out drinking and just left the kid alone. I suggest he gets a chain put on the top part of the door so the kid can't reach it or put an alarm on it.

[tcgram]

My son was very resourceful when he was younger. He learned very early how to climb and unlock doors. At one point I had a small set of windchimes on my door b/c I was fearful he would get out when I was trying to sleep. He was up all hours of the night. I am glad that the tyke is okay and I hope this teaches the dad to be more watchful of him.

[Redefining Success]

Slightly off topic,

I was using the loo at home while I was with my 2 boys 18month + 4, took youngest upstairs, shut the gate and let him toddle around.

After a couple of visits from him, I presumed he was playing in the bedroom, shouted him, no answer!

Finished up and he wasn't upstairs. Shouted down stairs and was reliably informed that the youngest was down stairs with the eldest.

The stair gate was still locked!

He either opened it, slipped through and locked it again or managed to squeeze through a reasonably sized gap for his head but would provide a slight struggle, and made his way down stairs. All with out a single sound!

I firmly believe we are all born ninja's and loose our stealth skills as we age.

[Codenwarra]

I have experienced a 4 year old boy running off the moment his father let go of the boy's hand to get car keys out of his own pocket. The little bar steward was out of sight behind a bed of tall plants before we realised he was gone. This isn't bad parenting, the alternative is tying the kid to a post with a rope.

[freetoroam]

I am still baffled (as you may have noticed) what this car was doing in the house in the first place. Maybe there are no valuables or breakable things lying about which the child could crash into....while daddy is in the bathroom having a dump.

But this guy could have a really big house with lots and lots and lots of room and have specific "drive carefully" signs. But from what we see in the video, the house does not look that big.....but hey! who knows, maybe now is just not a good time to discuss it.

[Sundew]

It may or may not be the parent's fault, kids are smart and they can figure out door locks and gates. All it takes is a second of inattention or distraction.

I saw a similar incident once where a cop brought a two or maybe three year old into a restaurant that was walking down the median of a four lane road. The mother, a bartender/hostess turned her back for a minute and the kid was out the front door of the restaurant and on his way down the road.

[freetoroam]

It may or may not be the parent's fault, kids are smart and they can figure out door locks and gates.

It is for this reason why they invented child locks. Kids are smart, adults should be smarter.......of course accidents happen, but a 3 year old getting into a power wheel car in doors, etc etc etc just a bit too weird for me.

[BeastieRunner]

No fear from that 3-yr old.

NASCAR is in his future... if he stays alive long enough.

And dad, shame on you. Suppose a lot can happen even while being a good parent though.

The real-life story of Ricky Bobby.

[willowdreams]

I am still baffled (as you may have noticed) what this car was doing in the house in the first place. Maybe there are no valuables or breakable things lying about which the child could crash into....while daddy is in the bathroom having a dump.

But this guy could have a really big house with lots and lots and lots of room and have specific "drive carefully" signs. But from what we see in the video, the house does not look that big.....but hey! who knows, maybe now is just not a good time to discuss it.

When my two were little, we had one of those 'jeeps' for our kids, ran on a car battery, we lived in an apartment and had no place outside to put it,nor would we have been allowed to store such a thing outside our apart doorway. SOO we had an indoor outdoor area rug in the kitchen/dining area, we parked it there when it was not in use.

No it really was not that loud, and keep in mind that my two kids are in their 30's now, this was like 22 yrs ago *gasp, i am not that old*..

Parents need to use the bathroom, sometimes bathroom visits are not short and sweet. I have myself gone to the bathroom to do a quickie 2, and it turned out to be 'uh oh, this needs to come out but is putting up a fight!' and then had to do the hokey pokey poopy dance with my butt cheek muscles and realized that the dance was a looooooooooooooong dance.

These things happen. I am not sure all the ins and outs of this families story, but i know things happen and it does not make you a bad parent. Not always. Sometimes it just means the dance turned into a long waltz

[freetoroam]

When my two were little, we had one of those 'jeeps' for our kids, ran on a car battery, we lived in an apartment and had no place outside to put it,nor would we have been allowed to store such a thing outside our apart doorway. SOO we had an indoor outdoor area rug in the kitchen/dining area, we parked it there when it was not in use.

No it really was not that loud, and keep in mind that my two kids are in their 30's now, this was like 22 yrs ago *gasp, i am not that old*..

Parents need to use the bathroom, sometimes bathroom visits are not short and sweet. I have myself gone to the bathroom to do a quickie 2, and it turned out to be 'uh oh, this needs to come out but is putting up a fight!' and then had to do the hokey pokey poopy dance with my butt cheek muscles and realized that the dance was a looooooooooooooong dance.

These things happen. I am not sure all the ins and outs of this families story, but i know things happen and it does not make you a bad parent. Not always. Sometimes it just means the dance turned into a long waltz

People differ if what they buy their children, When my son was 3 we lived in a flat, we would never had even though about buying a car like that for him, only to cart it outside, down the lift or steps each time and storing it in the flat! It is a matter of what is suitable and a car like that would not have been a suitable purchase. it certainly would not have been an essential part of my sons up bringing and I liked my kitchen, it was a great place for cooking, but not for storing power wheel cars.

I have a friend who stores his Harley Davidson in the house, its in the hallway, not that I would ever own one, but I can understand that, its worth a lot of money and is his baby, but he is not 3 years old and does not have a 3 year old who may damage it.

But your story is slightly different from the OP, unless your front door led straight outside where the car could be then driven onto a big road, it is doubtful this event would ever had happened to your child, no matter how long you spent on the toilet.

[willowdreams]

People differ if what they buy their children, When my son was 3 we lived in a flat, we would never had even though about buying a car like that for him, only to cart it outside, down the lift or steps each time and storing it in the flat! It is a matter of what is suitable and a car like that would not have been a suitable purchase. it certainly would not have been an essential part of my sons up bringing and I liked my kitchen, it was a great place for cooking, but not for storing power wheel cars.

I have a friend who stores his Harley Davidson in the house, its in the hallway, not that I would ever own one, but I can understand that, its worth a lot of money and is his baby, but he is not 3 years old and does not have a 3 year old who may damage it.

But your story is slightly different from the OP, unless your front door led straight outside where the car could be then driven onto a big road, it is doubtful this event would ever had happened to your child, no matter how long you spent on the toilet.

Actually, it was in phx az, our back door led to a small car drive through, about 10 ft from the main road. our front door exited to the small courtyard of the apartment (it was a square) with play yard and small pool. We wernt allowed to store stuff outside. The jeep we got was an xmas gift to the kids from other people. We talked to the management about parking it on our small patio in front, but the patio was just an 8 foot sidewalk in the square of the apartment in front of everyones door, and so was told no, but they kindly gave is the indoor outdoor carpet, so we would not damage the floor with the jeep. All the apart kids loved it, every day i would take the kids on a 'walk', to the corner lot about a block down the road which had nothign built on it, plenty of dirt, and a few dirt piles that they turned into mountains for the jeep to ride on, and some low trees and brush, each kiddo would bring a sack lunch and something to drink, tossing them in a red rider wagon with wood rails, which we tied to the back of hte jeep so no one had to really carry anything! i always brought some plastic cups and a few gallons of water, loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, not everyone had enough food to really spare, sometimes i would bring a mellon or two, kids always loved that. But for two hours every day that weather permitted, we did this. Sometimes other parents or older sibs would join and it was fun.

Not sure people do thing like that anymore.

I think the worse thing my daughter ever did was at 10ish, i would not let her have coffee, to young, so while her father and i slept, and after her brother fell asleep, she got up in the night, made herself some coffee, she said she just knew how from watching us, we never smelled it, she had shut our bedroom door and stuffed towels at the bottom. Then she drank the entire 12 cup pot, she said the first sip was nasty but she remembered i added sugar and creamer, so she did it till it tasted good, and added instant cocoa mix with mini mashmellos.. we woke up to a very hyper daughter, and every single pot and big bowl on the table filled with mellon, strawberries and other fruits with like two bags of mini marshmallows in them. She made fruit salad. We had just the day before purchased a LOT of fruit, enough for liek 8 apartment families, because for july 4th (that day we woke) we were cooking out, others were bringing breads, side dishes, meat.. we opted for fruits.. she said she couldnt rest so decided to cut up fruit, then didnt know what to do with it so put it in pots and pans and bowls and added the mini marshmallows because she loved those and ate some too, then she dumped out all the whipped topping into that *winces*

So we brought loads of fruit salad to the cookouts, the neighbors thought it was funny, and she fell asleep under one of the tables in the middle of it all.

I promise you, she is quiet, she moves slowly and precisely. always has, even her teachers in k-2 said you never knew when she was around doing things. She can prepare a meal in the kitchen and make almost no sound..

She was just born sneaky, wide eyes open staring at the doctor and sucking on her fist, not a single cry... don't ever be surprised what they will do!

[freetoroam]

Actually, it was in phx az, our back door led to a small car drive through,

AH! see I was brought up in a flat....16th floor. The flat I lived in with my son when he was 3 was on the 4th floor...I think our apartment/flat situations are completely different.