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SALT LAKE CITY — Thursday is National Heatstroke Prevention Day and safety advocates are taking advantage of the opportunity to provide information about the danger of leaving children in cars.
Nineteen children have died so far in 2014 from heatstroke because they were left unattended in vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Forty-four children died in 2013.
Advocates and law enforcement agencies are using the hashtags #checkforbaby and #heatstrokekills to help spread awareness. While they say this type of heatstroke death should be 100 percent preventable, a number of factors have kept the problem of being eliminated.
Below are some facts and tips to help caretakers prevent children from being forgotten or going unnoticed in cars.
Facts: (Source: NHTSA)
- Twenty-nine percent of children who died got into the vehicle by themselves
- The temperature inside a car can increase as much as 20 degrees in just 10 minutes
- A child’s temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult’s on a hot day
- The inside of a car can reach 110 degrees on a 60-degree day.
- Warning signs of heatstroke include not sweating and having red, hot and moist or dry skin. The children can also become nauseous and confused or exhibit strange behavior.
- Fifty-two percent of children who died were “forgotten.”
- Never leave a child in a vehicle, even if the air conditioning is on
- Leave car keys where children can’t reach them
- Install an app like Precious Cargo to get reminder alerts that let you know when a child is in the car
- Leave an important item you need like your wallet or cellphone next to the car seat when you put a child in.
- Place a stuffed animal in the car seat and move it to the front seat when you put a child in.
- If a child appears to be suffering from heatstroke, remove them from the car and spray them with a hose or cool water. Do not put them in an ice bath.
- Call 911 if you see a child in distress.
