Keeping Kids Safe from Dangers of a Hot Car

Child vehicular heat stroke is one among the leading causes of death among children around the globe. It is unfortunate to know that even great and responsible parents can forget children in the back seats.

According to statistics, about 700 children in the U.S. have died as a result vehicular heat stroke in a period of 19 years (from 1997 to 2016). Below are circumstances that have led to child vehicular heat stroke and instant death:

·         Children/child forgotten in cars by caregivers- These circumstances contributed to 376 out of 700 children death which is a proportion of 54%.

·         Children/child playing in unattended vehicle (gained access into the vehicle on their own) -Such circumstances have contributed to about 198 heat stroke deaths in children which is 28%.

·         Children/child left by an adult in the vehicle intentionally- This has contributed to about 120 heat stroke death, a proportion of 17%.

·         Unknown circumstances- According to statistics, about 6 children have died from vehicular heat stroke through unknown circumstances. This has contributed to 1% of child vehicular heat stroke deaths in a period of 19 years.

Age of Victims

As we have already discussed, about 700 children died from vehicular heat stroke in the U.S in a period of 19 years. All the 700 deaths were of children aged between 5 days to 14 years. More than 50 percent of the deaths are children below 2 years of age. Below are the number of deaths per age and their percentage out of 695 deaths:

·         1 year old and below = 225 deaths (32%)

·         1 year old = 154 deaths (22%)

·         2 years old = 136 deaths (20%)

·         3 years old = 92 deaths (13%)

·         4 years old = 42 deaths (6%)

·         5 years old = 23 deaths (3%)

·         6 years old = 9 deaths (1%)

·         7 years old = 3 deaths (<1%)

·         8 years old = 3 deaths (< 1%)

·         9 years old = 2 deaths (< 1%)

·         10 years old = 3 deaths (< 1%)

·         11 years old = 2 deaths (< 1%)

·         12 years old = 1 deaths (< 1%)

·         13 years old = 1 death (< 1%)

·         14 years old = 3 deaths (< 1%)

·         Unknown = 1 death (< 1%)

2017 vehicular heatstroke deaths
In 2017 alone about 18 children have been reported dead as a result of vehicular heatstroke. All of the 18 deaths were from the range of 7 weeks to 7 years. Ages of victims of vehicular heatstroke death in 2017 were of 2 years of age below.
Safety Tips to Keep your Kids Safe from Vehicular Heatstroke
Since 1990 about 800 children in the U.S have died in these preventable tragedies. According to recent statistics, an average of 37 children dies every year as a result of vehicular heat stroke. This is one of the biggest challenges no one would think will ever happen to them.
Whether you are a caregiver, a parent, or bystander of child/children left in a vehicle, it is important to know that children are more vulnerable to heat stroke compared to adults.
Below are important tips and rules you can follow to protect children from vehicular heatstroke:

1.       Know What can go Wrong

Many parents leave their children in vehicles without knowing what could happen. You should understand how your kids can quickly get sick due to high temperatures inside the vehicle.
On a day with 72⁰F, the temperature inside your vehicle can rise by 30- 40 degrees within an hour. 70 percent of this increase comes during the first 30 minutes. Heat stoke occurs mainly when the body temperature goes above 104⁰F. That temperature overwhelms the CNS temperature control causing your child symptoms such as:

·         Agitation

·         Dizziness

·         Disorientation

·         Confusion

·         Seizure

·         Sluggishness

·         Loss of consciousness and

·         Death

2.      Look Before you Lock

Some parents or caregivers may forget that their child is sleeping in the back seat and go out for business. It is vitally important to open the backdoor and access the back seat to make sure that everyone is out of the car. Even if you don’t have a child, you should observe this!

3.       Bystander? You Should get Involved

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advices that if you see a child left in a car alone, you should call 911 immediately. In case the child is in distress due to high temperatures, you should get him or her out immediately. It is unfortunate that some child carriers have hoods making it difficult to tell if there is a child in the seat. In future, alarm systems may be developed to sound in case a child’s seat belt is fastened after shutting the door.

4.       No Exceptions

No matter how brief your business is, you should have no exceptions. Some parents may not want to take their children out of their comfortable seats for what they believe is a quick stop. However, this can have dangerous consequences even if the windows are down.

There is no specified safe amount of time to leave your kids alone in a vehicle. Kids are at high risk and more susceptible for heat related injury or illness compared to adults since their bodies produce more heat relative to their body size. Their abilities to cool down after high temperatures are as well not developed as in adults. Due to this fact, just a few minutes in a hot car can be extremely dangerous for a small child.

5.       Lock Doors Before Leaving Your Vehicle

Even if you are leaving your car in a garage, you should keep the doors shut to prevent curious kids from wandering in. Also keep your car keys away from kids even when you are not using them. This can help prevent circumstances where children are accidentally locked in vehicles.

6.       Keep Something You Need Near Your Child

You should always keep something you may need before going out in the back seat so that you can access the kid on the back before leaving. Such things include Id badge, cell phone, briefcase, lunch and laptop.

7.       Make sure your Kids have Arrived

In case your children use buses or other means of transportation, make sure that the company or people involved follow safe protocols to ensure that your kids are safe. Such protocols include fully accessing the bus to ensure that no child is left inside at the end of the route. You can as well make a phone call to ensure that your child has arrived as expected.