Deadly Heat: Keeping Kids Safe in Cars This Summer
Cheryl Phillips, GoLocalProv Health Contributor
Deadly Heat: Keeping Kids Safe in Cars This Summer
Many think that by cracking a window in the hot weather while "just running in" to a store while a child sleeps peacefully is enough to keep a child cool. Aside from the fact that leaving a child alone in a car is wrong in any season, in just 10 short minutes, a car's temperature in the summer can increase by 19 degrees and will keep rising. Add sunlight coming through the windows, and that child is now in an oven that might just end the life of the child.
A child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult. In just a few minutes a child can become overheated - a condition called hyperthermia. Already this summer, 17 children across the nation have died due to hyperthermia as a result of being left in a hot vehicle.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn 2009, there were 33 such fatalities in the United States, with one occurring in Rhode Island when a 3 year-old Warwick boy climbed into a parked family vehicle and subsequently died of heart failure due to overheating.
Children are left in vehicles not only while a parent runs a quick errand. In many cases they are left unintentionally in the vehicle, with the top cause being "forgotten" by a caregiver. Children also love to play in cars, so an unlocked car is a big temptation.
With the temperature rising as the summer progresses, it is important to follow some basic tips provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to prevent a child from being left in a vehicle.
● Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.
● Dial 911 immediately if you see an unattended child in a car. EMS professionals are trained to determine if a child is in trouble.
● Set your cell phone with an alarm to be sure you dropped your child off at day care, especially if you've had a change in schedule or are stressed.
● Place a cell phone, PDA, purse, briefcase, gym bag or whatever is to be carried from the car on the floor in front of a child in a backseat. This triggers adults to see children when they open the rear door and reach for their belongings.
● Teach children not to play in any vehicle.
● Lock all vehicle doors and trunk after everyone has exited the vehicle – especially at home.
● Keep keys out of children’s reach. Cars are not playgrounds or babysitters.
● Check vehicles and trunks FIRST if a child goes missing