Sheriff: Don’t leave kids in hot vehicles

VW independent/submitted information

As summer temperatures rise to reach record highs across the country, it is important to remember that, while these summer days are great for the pool and the beach, they are not good for the inside of cars, where deadly temperatures can occur in a very short period of time. The Van Wert County Sheriff‘s Office and Safer Kids remind parents and caregivers to never leave children alone in cars.

Since 1998, at least 677 children across the United States have died in cars from heat stroke. That is one child every 10 days. Sadly, so far this summer, at least 16 children have died from heatstroke after being left in cars.

Many people are shocked to learn how hot the inside of a car can actually get. On an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a car can rise 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes and will continue getting hotter with each passing minute, and cracking the window doesn’t help.

Teach kids not to play in cars; do the following:

• Make sure to lock vehicles, including doors and trunks when are not using them.
• Keep the keys and remote entry fobs out of children’s sight and reach.
• Teach kids that trunks are for transporting things and are not a safe place to play.

Babies and young children can sometimes sleep so peacefully that we forget they are even there. It can be tempting to leave a baby alone in a car while we quickly run into a store. The problem is that leaving a child in a car can lead to serious injury or death from heat stroke.

Young children are at particular risk, as their bodies heat up 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s body. These tragedies are completely preventable.

Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas M. Riggenbach and Safe Kids are asking area residents to help protect kids and reduce the number of deaths from heatstroke by remembering to ACT:

• A — Avoid heat stroke related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Make sure to keep vehicles locked when not in them so kids don’t get in them on their own.
• C — Create reminders by putting something in the back of the car next to a child, such as a purse, cell phone or brief case that is needed at one’s final destination. This is especially important if people are not following their normal routine.
• T — Take action. Anyone who sees a child alone in a vehicle should call 9-1-1. Emergency personnel are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

For more information on preventing child heatstroke deaths contact the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office at 419.238.3866 or visit www.safekids.org/heatstroke.