Did you know that a child’s body heats up 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s? It only takes a few short minutes before a kid can become dangerously overheated.
Each Year, 30 Children Left Alone in a Car Die
Every year, more than 30 children die because they are left alone in a car. In just 10 minutes a car’s temperature can increase by 19 degrees and it continues to rise as time goes on. There is no evidence that cracking the windows helps keep a car cool. In fact, sunshine coming through car windows makes the car work like an oven.
Don't Leave Your Child in the Car Safety Tips
- Place your cell phone, PDA, purse, briefcase, gym bag, lunch bag on the floor in front of your child’s car seat. Be sure it is something that you always carry with you.
- Set your cell phone to go off at the same time each day to remind you that the baby should have been dropped off at daycare.
- Set your daily calendar in Outlook to remind you that the baby should be at child care. Many tragedies have happened as the caregiver drove on to work instead of stopping at daycare.
- Keep a special toy in your child’s empty car seat when the child is not with you. Bring that toy to the front seat when the child is in the car seat.
- Call 911 if you see children unattended in a car. The first responders tell us they would rather have those calls so they can determine if the child is at risk than have the emergency call later when a child is in deep trouble
- Keep car doors and trunks locked so children cannot play in them. Keep keys and remote entry keyfobs out of children’s reach. Kids may be able to use a remote entry keyfob to unlock a car from inside a house leaving an unlocked car for others to enter.
- Make it a habit to check the back seat when you exit the car.