Rising Temperatures Can Mean Tragedy For A Child Left Inside A Vehicle

DANBURY — Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle can have devastating consequences, including death. 

Since 1966, more than 120 children, most of them ages 3 and under, have died of heat stroke after being trapped inside a parked car.

“Parents who think they can leave their child in a car for just a few minutes don’t understand that in those few minutes, tragedy can strike,” said Charles Conway, the executive director of Fairfield County SAFE KIDS Coalition.

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. With an outside temperature of 93º F, the temperature inside a car can reach 125º F in just 20 minutes, and approximately 140º in 40 minutes, even with a window cracked.

Car trunks can be especially hazardous. In very hot weather, a child in a car trunk could suffer heat stroke, resulting in permanent disability or even death in a matter of minutes.

“During the summer months, the temperature in a closed parked car increases within the first five minutes and will reach its peak within 15 minutes,” says Kathy Lewis, RN, trauma services coordinator at Danbury Hospital. She adds, “Children have a greater surface area-to-body mass, which causes a greater heat gain on a hot day.”

Danbury Hospital, through its membership in the Fairfield County SAFE KIDS Coalition, urges parents to be particularly vigilant about their children’s own safety on days when temperatures reach 80º or higher, and offers the following safety precautions to combat heat-related injuries in cars:

*Never leave a child unattended in a motor vehicle, even with the windows down.

*Teach children not to play in, on or around cars.

*Always lock car doors and trunks – even at home – and keep keys out of the reach of children.

*Watch children closely around cars, particularly when loading or unloading items.

*Always make sure all child passengers have left the car when you reach your destination.

*Do not overlook sleeping infants.

*If your child gets locked inside a car, get him or her out and dial 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

*When restraining children in a car that has been parked in the heat, check to make sure seating surfaces and equipment (car seat and seat belt buckles) have not become overly hot.

*Use a light covering to shade the seat of your parked car.  Consider using windshield shades in front and back windows.

*Keep the trunk of your car locked at all times, especially when parked in the driveway or near the home.

*Keep the rear fold-down seats closed to help prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car.

*Put the car keys out of children’s reach and sight.

*Be wary of child-resistant locks. Teach older children how to disable the driver’s door locks if they unintentionally become entrapped in a motor vehicle.

*Contact your automobile dealership about getting your vehicle retrofitted with a trunk release mechanism.

The Fairfield County SAFE KIDS Coalition is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first and only national organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury – the number one killer of children ages 14 and under.  More than 300 state and local SAFE KIDS coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico comprise the Campaign.  Former US Surgeon Gen. C. Everett Koop,  is chairman of the campaign.