The Best Article of American Journalism in 2009

[Sasaki Kojiro]

If you've ever driven a car, you're as negligent as these parents were. Everyone has had moments where they get a bit distracted.

Human memory and capacity for paying attention are limited. Accidents happen. There has to be a certain extra amount of negligence for the crime to be there.

[Louis VI the Fat]

For a crime to be a crime, there has to be intention. If I slip and bump into somebody, pushing him off a bridge, I haven't commited a crime. If I give the exact same push with the intention to do so, I've comitted manslaughter.

In the 'kids left in cars' cases, there is a grey area between neglicence, carelessnes, and simple absent-mindedness. This article, that is its achievement, shows that rather less careless neglicence could be involved in many of these cases than one would expect at first sight. I´m still spooked by it, and happy I do not have a child under my supervision. I have the same feeling I have when listening to Eric Clapton´s ´Tears in Heaven´, which I find a harrowing song.

If you've ever driven a car, you're as negligent as these parents were. Everyone has had moments where they get a bit distracted.

Human memory and capacity for paying attention are limited. Accidents happen. There has to be a certain extra amount of negligence for the crime to be there.

I believe there's a legal maxim to the effect of 'gross negligence is deliberateness, gross deliberateness is intention, gross intention is malice'.

Or something like that, both my English and legalese are failing me here.

[HoreTore]

If you've ever driven a car, you're as negligent as these parents were. Everyone has had moments where they get a bit distracted.

Human memory and capacity for paying attention are limited. Accidents happen. There has to be a certain extra amount of negligence for the crime to be there.

He was preoccupied with other things than driving a car.