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| baby in backseat |
Temperatures are spiking. The air is heavy and it seems as though this heat will never let up. This is the time of year when we hear a lot about heat-related injuries — specifically, hot car deaths.
hot car deaths are unpleasant to talk about. We wince whenever we hear about them. We hate to think of this preventable tragedy happening to us — to our children. We swear to ourselves that we’re so careful that something like this could never happen to us.
according to official studies, 719 children have died of heatstroke after being left in cars since 1998. This means that on average, 37 will suffer the same tragic fate by the end of this year. Small children don’t regulate their body temperature the same way adults do, causing them to overheat three to five times faster.
A hot car death can happen when a baby or toddler is left accidentally strapped in their car seat or becomes trapped in a vehicle that rapidly heats up. Typically, these events occur when something happens to throw parents off their routine, such as an unexpected stop or being late.
Here’s some advises to prevent hot car deaths from happening and how to react if they do:
1- lock your car doors and secure your keys.
If your kids can get into your car without you knowing it they can lock themselves in. Aside from the danger of your child starting the ignition and setting the family car in motion, think about how quickly the inside of your car heats up when there’s no air conditioning blowing. Just because your kids figured out how to unlock your car and lock themselves inside, doesn’t mean they know how to get themselves out or realize how dangerous the heat is.
2- Put something you need in the back seat.
I used to always throw my bag on the passenger seat whenever I took my kids somewhere. Like most moms out there, I carry a huge handbag stocked with everything under the sun, so it takes up quite a bit of space. Now, I place it on the back seat floor, right under where my kid’s booster seat sits. Why? Because when I get out of my car, I want to stash my keys in my bag, causing me to open my rear door to retrieve my bag.
3- Get smart on the latest technology.
There is all kinds of evolving technology to remind you to check your back seat. The technology is out there and it can save lives — use it!
4- If you see something, do something.
if it’s 95°F outside and you see a toddler sleeping in the backseat of a parked car, react. Don’t question whether you should get involved. Don’t take 10 minutes trying to find the child’s mother in the store – that 10 minutes could be the difference between life and death. Find a way to get the child out of the car. This fact sheet from safecar.gov offers tips on how to respond to a heat-related injury.
source: babble
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