I’m with you, no matter what other FReepers say. It appears that two of the children in this article were young enough to be in car seats. You don’t leave a child young enough to be in a car seat alone in a car, unless there’s another child in the car who’s at least of babysitting age. Should a mother’s life be ruined over it? No. Should it be a misdemeanor? Yes.
See my post 11. I could live with the misdemeanor—in many cases it is the equivalent of jaywalking. Less than perfect behaviour, but those who make a big deal about it are OCD. Yes, there should be a law against jaywalking, but people who sit around and fret about what other people do need to get a life.