INDIANAPOLIS
– The tragedy continues to happen, even to the most doting parents: a young
child, left inside a car during hot weather, dies of heat stroke.
“Even
the best parents can get distracted and forget to check a back seat,” said Lori
Warner, RN, director of Women & Children’s Services at Franciscan
St. Francis Health. “The key is to know the dangers and adopt safe practices
when traveling with children.”
In
warm weather, a child’s body temperature raises three to five times faster than
an adult’s. That, paired with the quickly rising temperature inside a vehicle –
even when windows are partially rolled down – can be a dangerous combination.
The
key, said Warner, is to have a plan.
“The
best safety measure you can take as a parent is to develop a routine around
checking the car – inside and out – before you leave it,” she said.
Here
are some tips from KidsAndCars.org,
an advocacy group that promotes a “Look before you lock” campaign to prevent
these kinds of deaths:
·
Never
leave children alone in or around cars, not even for a minute.
·
Put
your cell phone, purse, briefcase, etc., on the floor of the back seat.
·
Keep
a large stuffed animal in the child’s seat when it’s not occupied. Move it to
the front seat when your child is traveling with you. Use this visual reminder
to prompt you to check the back seat when you leave the car.
·
When
a child is missing, check vehicles and car trunks immediately.
·
Use
drive-thru services when available when doing errands.
·
Make
sure all child passengers have left the vehicle after it is parked.
If you see a child alone
in a hot vehicle, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. If the child is 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 coo water or with a garden hose).
Visit
www.safercar.gov/heatstroke or www.safekids.org
for more information.
