Left alone to die- Heat related car deaths, negligence or accidents?
In the past 10 years over 400 children have died in hot cars in the US. Georgia ranks 6th for the most deaths.
Besides the risk of hyperthermia, (heat related death), children also are killed or injured due to back-overs, rollaways, trunk even power window strangulation.
Heat related fatalities are especially common during the summer but can happen at any time during the year.
Already this year, 41 children nationwide, and 3 children in Georgia, have died after being left in cars. That number is up by almost 10 deaths compared to last years 33, and the year and hot weather isn't over.
The circumstances surrounding theses preventable deaths vary. According to an examination of media reports, 51% of children were "forgotten" by caregivers, 30% of children were playing unattended in a vehicle, and 18% of the childen were intentionally left in the vehicle by an adult.
Many of the stories are accidents, involving children who have gotten into the family car and have become trapped, or forgotten their small bodies unable to deal with the extreme heat. The accidental cases are hard enough to read, and it's difficult to imagine the cases where children were purposely left in unattended vehicles. Some cases are utterly disturbing, and several have happened here in GA in the past few months, with temperatures soaring to the high 90's.
To help prevent heat-related injuries for children in cars, DCH and Safe Kids Georgia urge all adults to:
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Is it ever ok to leave a child in a car?
Call 911 immediately if you see a child alone in a car. If they are hot or seem sick, get them out as quickly as possible
- Never leave a child alone in a car – not even for a minute, not even if the windows are down
- Set a reminder on your cell phone, blackberry or computer to be sure that you drop your child at daycare
- Keep a stuffed animal in the when the child is put in the seat place the animal in the front with the driver.
- Place your cell phone, purse or briefcase on the floor of the back seat. This will help remind you to open the back door and see that your child is in the car
- Ask your childcare provider to call if your child does not arrive when expected
- Lock car doors and always keep keys out of reach of young children. Teach children not to play in or around cars
- If a child is missing, check the car and truck first
- Be sure that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading. Don't overlook sleeping babies.
- Always lock your car and ensure children do not have access to keys or remote entry devices. If a child is missing, check the car first, including the trunk. Teach your children that vehicles are never to be used as a play area.
- Make "look before you leave" a routine whenever you get out of the car.
- Have a plan that your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up for school.
- Vehicles heat up quickly - even with a window rolled down two inches, if the outside temperature is in the low 80s° Fahrenheit, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach deadly levels in only 10 minutes.
- Children's bodies overheat easily, and infants and children under four years of age are among those at greatest risk for heat-related illness.
- Children's bodies absorb more heat on a hot day than an adult. Also, children are less able to lower their body heat by sweating. When a body cannot sweat enough, the body temperature rises rapidly.
- In fact, when left in a hot vehicle, a young child's body temperature may increase three to five times as fast an adult. High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.
Dangers of extreme heat
- Symptoms of heatstroke: Warning signs vary but may include: red, hot, and moist or dry skin, no sweating, a strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse, a throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, being grouchy, or acting strangely.
- If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Cool the child rapidly. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
One child safety device already on the market to prevent such accidents is called The Child Minder. The device is about the size of a carseat buckle, and clips onto the belt. It sounds an alarm, both on the clip and a small key-ring unit, if the parent moves more than 10 feet away from the child.
The Child Presence Sensor. Developed by NASA, it is a weight sensor that fits into the car seat underneath the child. Able to detect weight as light as eight ounces, it too sounds an alarm if the parent moves too far away from the car.
Do you think parent's who leave children in cars accidentally should be punished for neglect?
What if the case is deemed accidental, has the parent already suffered enough? Please leave your thoughts and comments below.
"Beat the Heat, Check the Backseat"
For more information on preventing heat-related injuries for children visit:
http://www.safekids.org/nlyca and www.ggweather.com/heat. Other safety issues you should know about from NHTSA
| Kids Dying in Hot Vehicles | Backovers | Power Windows |
| Seat Belt Entanglement | Vehicle Rollaway | Trunk Entrapment |
For other safety related articles click here
LATCH Safety System
