Woman Allegedly Made Wet Nephew Ride In Trunk Of Lexus [nanny state gets involved]

CBS Minnesota ^ | September 19, 2012

[usflagwaver]

When I was 13 and 14, we used to ride around in the trunk of the car often. You get air. I understand the problem about getting rear-ended. Thankfully, that never happened to us, but otherwise, I don't understand what the big deal is.

We used to try to sneak into the drive in movie in the trunk as well. You see people put in the trunk all the time in the movies and TV shows.

[muir_redwoods]

Well, you aced that quiz

[Cementjungle]

My dad used to fix up old cars as a hobby, and I recall often riding in the rumble seats of those old things when I was a kid. Getting rear-ended in a rumble seat would have been bad too I guess.

[Fundamentally Fair]

Were this done to me when I was 11, I’d have an easy choice for Favorite Aunt!

[ViLaLuz]

A better solution would be to just cut the kid’s water rides off at the right point... he’s not in charge, she is. Or he could walk home.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Maybe so. Most states have laws that require all children under a certain age to wear seat belts. Maybe that is nanny-statism as well, maybe you should have a right to drive with your kids unbelted. He certainly was unbelted.

A trunk is not protected in an accident, most modern cars are built to use the trunk as a crumple-zone to protect the passengers. Putting a kid in the trunk was certainly a risk to the child.

The questions are, does the government have ANY business at all making ANY laws to protect children from being put in harmful situations by adults; and if SO, how do you draw the line to determine if something is “harmful enough” to be covered under the law.

Not sure whether you are in the first group. If so, nothing I say will make sense to you. You know you are in the first group if you’d let the adult allow the kid to ride on the roof of the car.

If not, you are in the second group, and we could ask — what is the most dangerous way to ride in the car would you allow before making it illegal? Would you let the kid ride on the roof if he was tied down? In the trunk? Hanging out the window? In the back seat with no seat belt?

I find most people do want to draw a line, and the argument is over where the line is drawn.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Shoot, that’s how we used to get into the drive-in theater.

[grundle]

A couple of months ago I was rear-ended at a red light. Car ended up totalled, but I was able to unbuckle my seat belt and walk away. The odds of doing that if I'd been forced into the trunk are somewhat less.

Unless you're Joe Pesci and someone has told you to go get your shoe-shine box, you have no business putting anyone in the trunk of a car.

I agree with you.