Never Leave a Child Alone in a
Car
Although the weather is becoming
cooler, parents need to stay vigilant about the dangers of leaving children
alone in cars. This year alone there have been at least 5 separate instances of
fatalities in Tennessee.
Temperatures inside vehicles can
rapidly climb over those of the outside environment. This can cause a
potentially fatal environment inside a vehicle even when outside temperatures are
as low as 70 degrees. Never leave an unattended child in a vehicle even with
the vehicle’s air conditioning on, as the vehicle may stall or malfunction. Additionally,
multiple responses have been required by the fire department due to children being
given key fobs to play with while the parents stood outside.
Although many parents think it is
unimaginable that they could forget their child in a car, statistics show
otherwise. Of US fatalities since 1998, one study reports that 52% were categorized
as ‘child "forgotten" by caregiver’ (253 Children), 30% were ‘child
playing in unattended vehicle’, 17% of children were ‘intentionally left in
vehicle by adult’ (86), and in 1% of cases circumstances were unknown (5). This
information and much more can be found here: http://ggweather.com/heat/ .
To help avoid a potentially fatal
situation, parents may consider placing their purse or computer bag by the child’s
seat whenever they enter their vehicle to ensure that they will always glance
in the backseat before leaving. If your child attends daycare regularly,
arrangements should be made to contact you on your cell phone if your child
does not show up at the facility. Often the parents of children that die are
not uncaring, just simply new parents deprived of sleep and/or parents that are
starting a new routine. Be especially alert anytime your normal pattern is
altered; for example if one parent typically drops the child off but is unable
to do to so because of an early morning meeting, setting a cell phone alarm for
the other caregiver with a reminder to drop the child off may be a lifesaver.
If you see a child in a car that
is unattended, please call 911. Minutes can make the difference between life and
death.