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Leaving Children In Hot Vehicles Can Have Deadly Consequences

By Joel Hardy

07/17/2014

(KAIR)--With summer in full swing, most people can be found enjoying a variety of warm weather activities. However, those higher temperatures can be deadly for anyone, especially children, left in a enclosed vehicle.

Spokeswoman for Safe Kids Kansas, Cheri Sage, says that annually, about half of the children who die in a hot car are left there accidentally by a caregiver that believes they are somewhere safe. She says that this generally happens where there is some change in a normal routine, which can especially happen during the summer months.

Sage advises parents and caregivers to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle even for a small amount of time. Some parent may think that it is alright to do so if they are only leaving for a few moments. However, that short time can turn into something longer, and Sage says that even ten minutes in a hot car can be deadly for a child.

Sage adds that simply locking your car and knowing where the key are can go a long way towards keeping children from getting themselves locked in there without you knowing about it. She also advises parents to teach their children that a vehicle is not a good place to play.

She also advises parents to leave an important item in the backseat of a vehicle to serve as a reminder that a child is there as well.

According to statistics released by kidsandcars.org, seventeen children under the age of fifteen have died from heatstroke as a result of being left in a vehicle so far in 2014.

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