Protect your children from heatstroke

Heatstroke deaths in hot vehicles are the leading cause of non-crash related fatalities for children 14 and younger, according to the NHTSA.

From 1998 to 2013, 606 children nationwide died due to heatstroke from being left in a vehicle. More than 52 percent of those children were actually forgotten by a busy and distracted parent or caregiver. Due to these statistic, the agency reminds all adults to “Look Before You Lock” to ensure no children are left in a vehicle. Some simple reminders include:

  • Writing a reminder note about the child and putting it on the car door or dash to see it when you leave a vehicle
  • Setting up a cell phone reminder
  • Placing a purse, briefcase or cell phone in the back of the vehicle so you always have to check the backseat
  • Keeping a familiar object in your child’s safety seat so when you remove it when your child is buckled in, you can place it in the front to always remember your child is in the backseat
  • Never letting children play in an unattended vehicle

A child’s body temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult’s. Heat stroke begins when the core body temperature reaches around 104 degrees; death can follow in a child when that temperature reaches 107 degrees. As a bystander, if you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, make sure the child is ok and responsive and do everything possible to locate the parents. If the child is in distress or unresponsive, call 911 immediately.

No parent or caregiver ever thinks they’ll forget their baby or child, but even a great parent can forget their sleeping baby in the backseat.

 

Published 8-1-14