Last evening, while I was waiting for my son at his guitar lesson, a mom whose son takes trombone at the same time told me that her daughter didn't come into the music studio because she was napping in the car. It was 8:10 but still 84 degrees outside.
Knowing the danger of leaving kids unattended in hot cars, I was surprised to hear this story. The girl in question is an older teenager, so her mom thought she'd be safe. The encounter made me uneasy, nonetheless.
Here's why. According to AAA Mid-Atlantic and the National Highway Transportation Safety Adminstration (NHTSA), 19 children nationwide have died so far this year after being trapped in an unattended vehicle in hot weather. Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths for kids under age 14.
Just last week near DC, two youngsters on their way to daycare succumbed after being forgotten for hours when the heat index topped 90 degrees. Kids have died in cars in comparatively lower temperatures, too, as heat levels inside an unventilated parked car can climb well above the outside termperature, as tragically proved in 2009, when a Bucks County youngster died while trapped in the car when the outside air registered in the mid-80s range.
As a reminder to keep kids safe from this danger, here's the most recent advice from AAA Mid-Atlantic and the NHTSA.
- Never leave a child alone in a car – even with the windows partially opened – as a vehicle’s interior can still heat up quickly to deadly temperatures.
- Do not leave your children in a running vehicle with the air conditioner on even for a few minutes; your child may put the car into drive or even get caught in a closing power window, not to mention that you increase the risk of your car being hijacked and your child abducted.
- Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away. Children have died because they fell asleep in their car seats and their parents didn’t realize they were still in the car.
- If your spouse or a guardian is taking your children to day care ask him or her to call you to make sure the drop-off went according to plan.
- Do not let your children play in an unattended vehicle – teach them that a car is not a play area; always lock your car doors and keep car keys out of children’s reach.
- Do the following things to remind you that a child is in the vehicle:
- Leave a written note in your vehicle where you will see it as you leave the vehicle, such as on the dashboard area.
- Place your purse, briefcase or something else you need in the back seat where your child is seated so that you will have to check that area when you leave the vehicle.
- Keep an object in your child’s car seat, such as a stuffed toy. When the child is buckled in, place the object where the driver will notice it when leaving the vehicle, as a reminder that a child is in the back seat.
Heat can make anyone a little hazy. Stay safe out there.
