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Heat in parked cars can be deadly for children
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahomans are beginning to feel the heat of the summer. With temperatures indicating that summer has arrived, it is important to remember to never leave children in a parked car.
Although it can be tempting for parents and other caregivers to leave young children in a car while they run into the store for a quick errand, it can be a deadly mistake, said Debbie Richardson, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension parenting assistant specialist.
“Even when the windows are rolled down, the temperature inside a car can rapidly increase,” Richardson said. “When the outside temperature is 80 degrees, the inside of a vehicle can reach deadly temperatures of 125 degrees within an hour. If it’s 93 degrees outside, the internal car temperature can jump to 125 degrees in just a matter of minutes.”
When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This extreme heat can cause permanent injury or death. Extreme heat affects infants and small children disproportionately. Heat can quickly overwhelm their small body and affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
Richardson said that an average of 38 deaths have been recorded every year in the United States since 1998. From 1998 to 2008 at least 11 children in Oklahoma died after being left in a hot vehicle.
“It can be easy to be distracted and forget a child is in the car. However, distraction can result in the death of a child,” she said. “When you get home from work or from running errands, check to make sure all of the children are out of the car. Under no circumstances should you leave a sleeping child in the car. Get the children out of the vehicle before unloading groceries or other items.”
To help prevent heat-related deaths and injuries in the car, follow these suggestions by Safe Kids USA:
- Never leave a child in an unattended car, even with the windows open.
- Teach children not to play in or around cars.
- Always lock car doors and trunks, even at home, and keep keys and remote entry devices out of children’s reach.
- Watch children closely around cars, particularly when you are loading and unloading.
- Beware of child-resistant locks. Teach older children how to disable the driver’s door locks if they unintentionally become entrapped in a vehicle.
- Check to make sure all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination.
- Do not overlook sleeping infants or toddlers. Get in the habit of checking the back seats. Put a note, sign or object near the driver’s seat as a reminder or place something that you will need at your next stop - for example a purse, your lunch, gym bag or briefcase - on the floor of the backseat where the child is sitting. This simple act could help prevent you from accidentally forgetting a child.
- Be especially careful if you are dropping off infants or children at day care and that is not part of your normal routine. Have your child care provider contact you if your child does not show up on a day he or she is expected.
Also, make sure to check the temperature of the car seat surface and safety belt buckles before restraining children in the car. These can easily cause skin burns. Use a light covering to shade the seat of a parked car.
“If a child is left in a hot car for any dangerous amount of time, the first thing to do is call 911 for help,” Richardson said. “Take the child out of the car and if he is alert, give him some cool water. If he’s not breathing or has no pulse, administer CPR until emergency help arrives. The heat in Oklahoma can be extreme, so it is vital for parents and caregivers to be aware of the possible dangers a child can face if left unattended in any vehicle.”
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Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local
Governments Cooperating: The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its
programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin,
religion, gender, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal
opportunity employer.
Trisha Gedon
Communications Specialist
Agricultural Communications
Services
136 Agriculture North
Stillwater, OK
74078
405-744-3625 (phone)
405-744-5739 (fax)
trisha.gedon@okstate.edu
