What is the legal term for endangering a child through negligent actions like leaving them in a hot vehicle?

The legal term for endangering a child through negligent actions, such as leaving them in a hot vehicle, is child endangerment. This term typically encompasses a range of actions that put a child's physical or emotional well-being at risk due to a caregiver's negligence or recklessness. Child endangerment laws recognize the responsibilities that guardians and parents have in ensuring a child's safety, and failing in this regard can have serious legal consequences.

In contrast, child negligence might imply a lack of care, but it doesn't encompass the broader implications of active endangerment situations. Abandoning a child pertains to situations where a caregiver deliberately leaves a child without supervision or care in a manner that severely jeopardizes the child’s safety, which is different from negligence that involves active, albeit careless, endangerment. Child abuse usually refers to intentional harm or maltreatment, which also differs from negligent acts that might not have the same intent behind them.