It’s that time of year again – when temperatures start to rise all over the country and life altering accidents have the potential to occur when we’re least expecting it.
Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths of children now according to SafeKids.org. On average, one child dies every 8 days from heatstroke in a vehicle – and it’s an event that can happen to any family at any time. Responsible parents can have a bad morning or a change in routine that allows them to forget their child in the backseat of their car for hours, or even an entire day.
Vehicular heatstroke can lead to long term injury to the child, or even death. But you can take action to help prevent it.
Some facts:
- 53% of children who died from vehicular heatstroke were simply “forgotten” in the car by their caregiver.
To help prevent this, take Ray Ray’s Pledge to affirm with your child care provider that you will let them know if your child will be tardy or absent on any given day, and in return your provider will pledge to call you if your child hasn’t arrived at the center as normally scheduled.
- 17% of vehicular heatstroke deaths occurred because a parent intentionally left a child in the car. Heatstroke can occur even with outside temperatures as low as 57 degrees Fahrenheit.
Don’t leave children in a car alone even for a few minutes. The temperature inside a car can increase 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. If you see a child in a car alone, take action – IMMEDIATELY call 911, follow their instructions, and wait for emergency personnel to arrive on the scene.
And one of the best ways to prevent a potential accident is to download an app or reminder service for your phone.
The Kars4Kids Safety App was created and recently improved to make it more user-friendly and effective in preventing this type of tragedy. Check it out – the app is completely free!
You can find more information about the app on their website: http://www.kars4kids.org/safety-app
Don’t believe how dangerous it is in a hot car? Watch this powerful video that drives home the point of how hot it really gets in cars and how dangerous it is for anyone, especially children.
