UPDATE :

Little Helpers Can Prevent Hot Car Tragedies

MAKE A HABIT –

• Never leave a child alone in a car – not even for a second.

• When exiting your car, always open the back door as a habit. This is the precaution I take.  No matter what the weather or how much I have to carry, I always open the back door.  It’s a habit I’m proud to have.

• Keep talking to the child in the back seat, even if she is sleeping and you have to talk very quietly.  You’ll remember you’re talking to someone.Get yourself into a “look before you lock” habit.

• Schedule a phone call to ensure that your child arrives to his destination time.

• Teach your child that cars are not play areas and make sure they don’t have access to car keys.

• Leave your left shoe in the back seat.

• Leave your laptop or cell phone in the back seat (you shouldn’t be on your cell phone when you’re driving anyway). Leave your purse in the back seat.

• Don’t leave your car until you get home – use drive thru businesses.

• Pay at the pump when you pump gas.

Pandemic Increases Risk of Children Dying in Hot Cars

Click here for updates on the Hot Cars Act of 2019

Summer is a time I look forward to because I get to see my grandchildren more often.  However, it’s also I time that I worry more because of the increase of accidents that happen over the summer months.  I’m not trying to turn you into a bunch of “worry warts” like myself, but accidents happen.  Actually, I first published this article a couple summers ago, but it’s worth repeating. Sadly, there are still children, animals and vulnerable people dying in hot cars.  In 2017, 52 children lost their lives from heatstroke after being left in a hot car, and a record 53 children in 2018.  According to KidsAndCars.org, there have been over 940 hot car deaths since 1990.

In 2019,  Representatives Tim Ryan (D-OH), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Pete King (R-NY) introduced the HOT CARS Act (H.R. 3593) to address injuries and fatalities around the country as a result of heatstroke in vehicles.  Click this link for complete information.

https://timryan.house.gov/media/press-releases/lawmakers-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-stop-hot-car-deaths#

Hot Car Deaths

The following article is from USA Today:

The death of Cooper Harris, a 22-month-old child left in a hot car in Georgia, has drawn attention to the risks of leaving children unattended in vehicles. USA TODAY Network compiled 10 facts about child deaths in cars caused by heat stroke.

1. An average of 38 children have died in hot cars each year in the USA since 1998.
2. Since 1998, 619 children have died in vehicles from heat stroke in the USA.
3. More than 70% of heat stroke deaths occur in children younger than age 2.
4. More than half of heat stroke deaths occur because a caregiver forgot the child in the car.
5. Roughly 30% of heat stroke deaths occur because the child got in the car without a caregiver knowing and couldn’t get out.
6. Nearly 20% of deaths occur because a caregiver intentionally left the child in the car.
7. Cars heat up quickly. A vehicle can heat up 20 degrees in 10 minutes.  And NO, CRACKING OPEN THE WINDOW DOESN’T HELP FOR CHILDREN OR PETS!!!
8. Cracking the windows or not parking in direct sunlight does not make a car significantly cooler. Heat stroke deaths have occurred even when the vehicle was parked in shade.
9. A car can reach 110 degrees when temperatures are only in the 60s. Heat stroke can take place when the outside temperature is as low as 57 degrees.
10. The body temperatures of children can increase three to five times faster than adults. Heat stroke begins when the body passes 104 degrees. Reaching an internal temperature of 107 degrees can be deadly.

All statistics are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

Little Helpers Can Prevent Hot Car Tragedies

MAKE A HABIT –

• Never leave a child alone in a car – not even for a second.

• When exiting your car, always open the back door as a habit. This is the precaution I take.  No matter what the weather or how much I have to carry, I always open the back door.  It’s a habit I’m proud to have.

• Keep talking to the child in the back seat, even if she is sleeping and you have to talk very quietly.  You’ll remember you’re talking to someone.Get yourself into a “look before you lock” habit.

• Schedule a phone call to ensure that your child arrives to his destination time.

• Teach your child that cars are not play areas and make sure they don’t have access to car keys.

• Leave your left shoe in the back seat.

• Leave your laptop or cell phone in the back seat (you shouldn’t be on your cell phone when you’re driving anyway). Leave your purse in the back seat.

• Don’t leave your car until you get home – use drive thru businesses.

• Pay at the pump when you pump gas.

The National Safety Council has an EXCELLENT website on this topic, including an on-line safety and much much more.  Please check it out at https://training.nsc.org/hot-cars/

Here are some more little helpers to prevent Hot Car Tragedies of children, pets and vulnerable adults.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/child-safety/help-prevent-hot-car-deaths

https://www.aspca.org/blog/leaving-pets-hot-cars-lethal-issue

http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/Kids-and-Hot-Cars.aspx

https://www.kidsandcars.org/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/09/hot-cars-child-deaths/10008335/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirstenclodfelter/2017/06/01/could-this-app-save-your-babys-life/#53bc6e0c15f8The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

https://www.safekids.org/blog/ask-expert-leaving-young-child-alone-car-during-coronavirus-pandemic

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/dogs-in-hot-cars/