Summer safety: Don’t leave your child in a hot car

It may only take a few minutes to park your car and run into the supermarket to buy a gallon of milk. But the next time you park—even if it’s for “just a minute,” don’t leave your child in the car. Sunlight and heat get trapped inside a parked car, and in direct sunlight on an 80-degree day with no ventilation, the temperature can rapidly reach up to 131 degrees, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). In just 10 minutes, a child’s body temperature can go as high as 106 degrees F, leading to damage to the brain and vital organs, heat stroke, dehydration, seizures, and death.

According to our Safety blog, six children this year already have died in overheated cars. In one case, a child died after his father forgot he in the back seat and left him in the car all day. The temperature outside was only in the 60s, but reports say the air in the car topped 100 degrees.

Follow these important tips from the ACEP to keep your child safe:

• Never leave children unattended in a vehicle.
• Never let your children play in an unattended vehicle.
• Make a habit of looking in the vehicle before you get out.
• If your infant or young child travels in a rear-facing car seat or the back seat, keep a reminder for you in the front seat, for example, a stuffed animal.
• Always lock the doors and keep any keys out of reach from children.
• If you see a child left alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they appear in distress, don’t hesitate, get them out as quickly as possible, cool the child rapidly and call 911or your local emergency number.

—Ginger Skinner

For more on deadly car cautions, watch our video (above) and read our new report.

Comments

[Curtis Franklin]

What is completely beyond me is that someone would never leave their purse, wallet, Blackberry, or laptop in an unattended car. Yet, something as precious as another human life could be left alone, completely ignored and neglected. I do not care about how busy you are or how your schedule has changed or how tired you are. Your children should go wherever you go no matter how long or how brief that trip might be. If you are a parent reading this, you need to try this for yourself sometime: park your car in a sunny area on a 90 degree day, keep the doors and windows closed, stay in the car for at least half an hour. You will know how it feels to be stuck there for so long. If an adult cannot endure such discomfort how can a child endure it?

[Bruce]

A lot of this is caused by too much multi-tasking. Some of the stories I've seen this year are parents who forgot to drop the kid off at daycare and the child wase in the vehicle for hours either until they were discovered by a passerby or the parent got out of work. If you're so busy and behind schedule that you can't even remember to drop your kid off in the morning, you aren't focusing properly. Reorganize your life so you aren't trying to do so many things at once. Multi-tasking too many things causes more forgetfulness.

I remember once I left my sleeping daughter in the car just after sunset (so no danger of overheating), while I went to pick up my takeout order. Some lady came into the restaurant and started raising hell with me. Even when it's safe, it isn't worth the hassle.

[Joanne Orr]

People today just have the kids, that doesn't mean they know what they're doing. They want the kids but they want 2-salaries, the pace is unbelievable. Eveeryone is so busy, then why are theyhaving so many children?