We all rely on our vehicles to safely transport our loved ones where we need to go and we can easily forget if we let kids stay or play in a vehicle for any amount of time, there results can be deadly. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, heatstroke is the leading cause of all non-crash-related fatalities involving children aged 14 and younger or 61 percent of all non-crash fatalities in this age group. If your loved one has been in danger and suffered personal injury due to negligence, contact your Waukesha Personal Injury Attorney.
Vehicles can heat up quickly, even with the windows rolled down. A child’s body has a difficult time regulating body temperature and a child’s body absorbs more heat on a hot day than an adult’s will. Heatstroke can occur even in vehicles parked in the shade on days that reach 80 degrees or less. It is estimated that even if the temperature is 80 degrees, a vehicle can become deadly in just 10 minutes.
Safecar.gov offers these safety tips for parents and caregivers:
- Never leave an infant or child unattended in a vehicle, even if the windows are partly open, or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on;
- Don’t let children play in an unattended vehicle. Teach them a vehicle is not a play area;
- Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away;
- Take steps to remember not to leave a child in a vehicle:
- Write yourself a note and place it where you’ll see it when you leave the vehicle.
- Place your purse, briefcase, or something else you’re sure to need in the back seat so you’ll be sure to see a child left in the vehicle.
- Keep an object in the car seat, such as a stuffed toy. Once the child is buckled in, place the object where the driver will notice it when he or she leaves the vehicle.
- Always lock vehicle doors and trunks and keep keys out of children’s reach. If a child is missing, check the vehicle first, including the trunk.
- Ask your childcare center to call you if your child doesn’t arrive on time for childcare.
- If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call 911 or you local emergency number immediately. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Cool the child rapidly (not an ice bath but by spraying them with cool
- water or with a garden hose).
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