Volusia County

‘You probably would have killed both of them’: Kids weren’t buckled up while mom drove 91 mph

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind drivers that car seats are required by law for children under the age of five and that young children under the age of eight should not be riding in the front seat.

Watch: Video shows moment speeding car crashes into school bus full of students

The reminder comes after deputies arrested a woman after they pulled her over and found her two children, ages two and three, asleep in the vehicle without car seats. One of the children was asleep and unrestrained in the front seat.

Deputies pulled the car over in DeLand around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday for doing 91 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone.

“Do you understand that if you would have gotten into an accident, you probably would have killed both of them,” the deputy can be heard saying on the body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office.

Read: ‘I’m still in shock’: Tyre Sampson’s mom speaks out after family files lawsuit against 10 companies

According to the arrest report, the 25-year-old driver told deputies that she left the house late to pick up her boyfriend and father of the children from work.

She also told deputies that she does own car seats and that they are in her other car, which she did not take because she did not want to strap the kids in while they were sleeping.

Read: Vice President Kamala Harris tests positive for COVID-19

The driver, Carolyn Poitier, is charged with neglect of a child and possession of a schedule IV substance.

Poitier is being held in the Volusia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

For information about free car seats or for help making sure yours is installed correctly, you can contact @safekids on Twitter or Volusia/Flagler Counties at 386-425-7920

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.