Cooler weather still deadly if kids left in cars
Since 1998, nearly 750 children across the United States have died from heatstroke when alone in a vehicle. It’s the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children and it has already contributed to 29 child deaths so far this year.
According to kidsandcars.org, only 19 states in the country have laws that specifically make it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle, with nearly a dozen proposing new laws as hot car deaths continue to rise. Although cooler weather has been headlining the forecast for quite some time, Safe Kids Columbia is urging Mid-Missouri residents to help protect children from heatstroke.
“The risk of leaving a child in the car is obviously heat stroke, or heat related injury,” Safe Kids Coordinator Jennifer Brooks said. “One of the things we want people to think about is to act.”
ACT is an acronym used to help cut down the number of deaths and near misses with children.
– A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute.
– C: Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child’s car seat when it’s empty, and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back.
– T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911.
Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly spike to life-threatening levels if the sun is out. Take for example Friday when temperatures across Mid-Missouri topped out in the mid 80s. A car parked in full sunshine will quickly climb 19 degrees in just minutes, after half an hour, the inside of a vehicle can feel like 119 degrees.
Heatstroke can happen anytime and anywhere. One call could save a life.
Although summer has taken a backseat to the forecast, it’s still important to remember it’s summer. Heatstroke Prevention Day is July 31 and Safe Kids Columbia urges Mid-Missouri residents to help protect children from heatstroke.
“You can act and you can prevent this,” Brooks said.
