Toddler takes SUV for a joyride

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts) Jul 20th 2008 1:00PM

What kid doesn't like to play in the front seat of Mom and Dad's car? Whenever we're parked for any length of time, my kids beg to come up front and try out all of the buttons and knobs, so that when I finally turn the car back on, the radio is blasting and the windshield wipers work furiously, despite the fact that it's not raining.

But a 3-year-old St. Louis boy recently decided that he was going to do more than explore the dashboard of his parent's SUV. He took the keys, told his mom he was going "bye bye," and then instead of heading out to the backyard, where his mother thought he was going, climbed into the family's SUV and put the keys in the ignition. He managed to get it into neutral, and then the vehicle rolled across the street and stopped only when it bumped into a neighbor's house.

The child wasn't hurt (and neither was the SUV, the St. Louis Post reports), but stories like this one are a good reminder, especially during these hot summer days, to keep your car locked and your keys out of reach.

10 Most Dangerous Toys Ever(click thumbnails to view gallery)

(via LilSugar)

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Comments (13)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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jbj 7-21-2008 @ 5:59AM

Sigh....

tim.nil_0 7-21-2008 @ 5:05PM

Just another example of how SUV's will destroy America. :-)

Jacklyn Lopez 7-21-2008 @ 2:41PM

Now isn't that the most adorable story you have ever heard
in your entire life??? How precious is that for goodness sake??
I hope the mother now realizes the dangers that can lurk anywhere
anytime....THANK GOD THE CHILD WAS UNHARMED!

terri 7-21-2008 @ 5:37PM

aol made it sound like the kid took the car for a ride,,, all the stupid kid did is just like any other kid does is put the stupid car in reverse and it rolled down the stupid driveway !!1same old stupid story done over and over again

kas 7-21-2008 @ 2:44PM

My husband is a very popular mechanic in our area and does a lot of work out of his garage at the house. Partially because of this, I have made it a point to make it understood to our 2 and 4 year old that playing in (or around) any car is never safe.(Real) Cars are not toys! I don't even think alot of adults know that. Our keys are kept hanging by the door, out of child reach. We are outside alot and everyone, even the dog, knows never to approach a vehicle while it's running. I know from exposure the real dangers of cars, from rolling to leaking various poisionous fluids, to fire. The kids are much safer in the sandbox! We all make small mistakes when it comes to our children's safety every once in a while, but some things should just be common sense!

Thanks for lending me your soap box.

Perry Allotta 7-21-2008 @ 3:07PM

It is impossible for a 3 year old child to put a car in neutral because you have to push the pedal first..to me sound like a fiction tale.
Come one people, it is a joke..

Joy 7-21-2008 @ 4:29PM

It is possible for a three year old to do that. I had a cousin that left her keys in her car all the time. He told his mom that he was going bye-bye and went out the door, got in the car, and managed to back it across the street into a fence post. He nor the car was hurt but it is possible for something like this too happen. This is why I keep my keys out of reach and my car doors locked at all times.

jevi diamond 7-21-2008 @ 4:01PM

people should not let the kids PLAY with real vehicles. give them toys to play with. dont encourage them to play in the car for crying out loud. nothing good will come of it.
they should respect what a car can do, whether getting them to practice or getting into a firery crash, they need to know cars are not toys.

Tracy 7-21-2008 @ 3:54PM

I get that accidents can happen, but... the mother SAW the child do this? Why did she not stop him when she realized he was headed for the vehicle and not the backyard? And since when is 3 an appropriate age for a child to even be allowed to head for the backyard without the parent?

Thank God he's alright.

Michelle 7-21-2008 @ 4:00PM

When my son was two, we were at my parents and he noticed where my dad put his keys to his van. In a drawer in the kitchen. He got a chair and climbed up and got the key's, dragged a stool outside down 4 steps and used it to climb up, open a locked van, got in put the key's in the ignition and turned it on. The van was a standard and it jumped forward into a brick planter box. He had a grand old time. We then started making sure key's were put up in places he did not see! kids are very observant and smart. We laugh now and he is 24.

cgrannyrock 7-21-2008 @ 4:05PM

Goodness--there was a time when you only had to worry about teens taking the keys to the car-------this momma is gonna have her hands full!

michelle 7-21-2008 @ 4:04PM

It is not impossible to put a car into neutral, standard or automatic without pushing the clutch. Also three is not too young to head to the back yard by themself. Especially if it is fenced in.