Children and Hot Cars are a Recipe for Disaster

At 10:45 a.m., on Monday, August 17, 2009 Officer Patrick Hardy was dispatched to the parking lot of the Newtown Athletic Club for a report of a four month-old baby that had been accidentally locked in a car. When Officer Hardy arrived, he saw the baby in her child seat not crying or moving, but sweating profusely. He reacted quickly, and with the mother's permission, broke out the front passenger side window, of the Nissan Pathfinder, to gain access to the baby.  The interior of the SUV was extremely hot and the infant, conscious and alert, was taken inside the building in order to bring her body temperature down. Thanks to Officer Hardy, the baby did not need medical attention! It is estimated that the infant had been in the car for approximately 15 minutes. After this incident, Officer Hardy wrote the following article in hopes that it would heighten the awareness of adults who travel with children in their vehicles.

In 2009, so far, there have been 28 deaths of children after being left inside a hot vehicle. The majority of deaths have occurred on what most would consider a mild day, with temperatures in the mid 70’s. The temperature in a vehicle can reach temperatures which cause death rapidly. Children and infants are more susceptible to hyperthermia because their body heats much faster than an adult’s. The statistics are staggering:

• 50% of children are forgotten by their caregiver
• 30% of children are playing in an unattended vehicle
• 17% of children are left intentionally in the vehicle.

Studies have found that “cracking-the-windows” does not help, and temperatures jump 20 degrees in a car in the first 10 minutes that it is closed. Vehicles with dark interiors heat at an even faster rate. If you lock your child in the car by accident, call 911 immediately! You can then look for a key, break a window or anyway to get your child out. If you must break a window, take care to not break glass onto the child. Remember, in 10 minutes the temperature in a car will rise 20 degrees, threatening your child’s life. You can replace a broken window much easier then your child’s brain cells, or life.

Keep your child safe and follow these safety recommendations to prevent tragedy from striking you:

• NEVER leave a child in a vehicle unattended, even for a minute! (This includes running into the store for a minute for your coffee.)
• Call 911 if you see a child unattended in a hot vehicle.
• Count your occupants when unloading your vehicle to prevent overlooking sleeping babies.
• Always lock your car, as it will keep out thieves AND children from playing.
• Teach your child that vehicles are not a play area and never to “hide” in them.
• Place your purse, phone or briefcase in the backseat as a reminder to check the back seat.
• Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat and when the child is in the seat, put the toy in the front with the driver as a visual reminder.
• Have a policy that your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up for daycare.
• “Look before you leave” each and every time you leave your vehicle.

Sources:

http://ggweather.com/heat/

http://www.4rkidssake.org/