Kids left alone in or near automobiles often end in tragedy. In the last four months in Metro-Detroit, two small children lost their lives in driveway fatalities. In February, a six-year-old Rochester Hills girl was accidently run over when her father was backing his car out of the driveway. Earlier this month, a 16-month old girl in Shelby Township died in her family’s garage when her father was backing the car up.
When looking at statistics of non-traffic fatalities involving children, 44% are attributed to backovers, 17% to frontovers, and 16% to hyperthermia.
While our area hasn’t experience a fatality from a child being left alone in a hot car this year, nationally 17 children have died this way since the beginning of 2010. It’s a sad reality of hot summer weather. Kids are often left alone, or forgotten in cars and die from hyperthermia. Studies* show that even on mild days, the temperature in a vehicle can reach life threatening temperatures rapidly. On a 70-degree day, the interior temperature in a vehicle can rise 19 degrees in ten minutes, and 29 degrees in 20 minutes. So, while the outside temperature may only be 70-degrees, the interior temperature could reach 99-degrees in 20 minutes. A cracked window has little effect. On a hotter day, like 85-degrees, the interior of a car could be deadly in just ten minutes.
Many parents will read this blog post and think it can’t happen to them. They love their children too much, and they could never forget them. But, the harsh reality is that often parents are distracted with their hectic lives, and they simply forget the child. The following is from an article in The Washington Post describing who has forgotten their child in a hot car.
In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. A police officer. An accountant. A soldier. A paralegal. An electrician. A Protestant clergyman. A rabbinical student. A nurse. A construction worker. An assistant principal. It happened to a mental health counselor, a college professor and a pizza chef. It happened to a pediatrician. It happened to a rocket scientist.
Children’s body temperatures warm at a rate of 3 to 5 times that of an adult because their thermoregulatory systems are not as efficient. Heatstroke occurs when a person’s temperature exceeds 104 degrees. Symptoms include: dizziness, disorientation, agitation, confusion, rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, sluggishness and seizure. A core body temperature of 107 degrees is lethal and organs begin shutting down.
Child’s Hope suggests all caregivers “Look Before You Leave.” The majority of kids that die when left in hot cars are simply forgotten by a caregiver. This tragedy often occurs when a family’s routine is interrupted or changed.
TIPS:
As a reminder that your child is in the backseat, leave a purse, cell phone or briefcase in the backseat next to them.
Make it a habit to look in the backseat every time you exit a car.
Strap a stuffed animal into the front seat
Glance into parked cars to see if there are children left alone. If so, call 911 immediately.
For more information on kids and cars visit:
http://www.kidsandcars.org/
http://ggweather.com/heat/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html
* http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/116/1/e109
