One of the definitions of the word “unthinkable” is to learn of a child and/or pet dying in agony in a hot car.
According to an organization called “Kids and Car Safety,” already this year, more than six American children (and God only knows how many pets) have died that way. Since 1990, there have been more than 1,050 child deaths, and 7,300 children survived with varying types of injuries after being trapped in hot cars. An average of 38 die each year. It’s an unbearable statistic.
All too many parents/caregivers leave children or pets in cars as they run in for “just a minute or two” to get something in a store. On a hot, sunny day the inside of a car can reach 125 degrees in just a couple minutes, and “cracking the windows a bit” does not stop that quick spike in car heat. The heat build-up can happen even if outdoor temps are as low as 60 degrees.
The main cause of leaving a child or pet in a hot car is a change in normal daily routine, with fatigue being a contributing factor, that can cause one to forget about the child.
There is increasing pressure on vehicle manufacturers to install “passenger detectors” in cars to sound an alert if a child is left inside. Such detectors can be purchased right now for under $50 or so to be installed in a car. Please check into installing one.
Here are tips for protecting children and pets from hot-car deaths:
• After arriving at a destination, make it a habit always to open the back door and check to make sure an infant or child is not in the back seat. Do that visual check even if you think you’re certain you did not bring a child or pet with you in the car. Make the visual inspection an automatic reflex habit every single time.
• Ask child-care providers to call you immediately if your child did not arrive there.
• Keep car doors locked at all times because about 25 percent of deaths happen when a child gets into an unlocked car and then becomes stuck and dies. Never leave car keys within children’s reach.
• Teach children to honk the horn repeatedly if they do become trapped.
• If a child is missing, immediately peer into all vehicles within your area.
• If you see a child crying or in obvious distress inside a vehicle, call 911 immediately to report it. Then remove the child from the vehicle by any means if there is imminent danger of the child dying.
• Use drive-thru services whenever possible to avoid “popping into a store” for a minute or two with a child or pet left in a car.
Share all of those safety tips with all family members, neighbors, friends, relatives, teachers, childcare providers and anyone else you know. Discuss hot-car endangerment and frequently remind all those you know to be constantly aware of that “unthinkable” horrific tragedy.
