August 2007

Keep Kids Safe in Summer Heat

Even if we don’t get another heat wave with temperatures in the 90s this summer, babies and children left in cars can die, even if the temperatures are in the 70s or 80s.

The Children’s Trust of Washington is offering a simple reminder to parents when driving with children this summer: “Look Before You Lock.” Always check to make sure all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination. Don’t overlook sleeping infants. Keep your child’s toy or diaper bag in the front passenger seat to help remind you the child is on board. Do not leave your child in the car intentionally for even “just a minute” to run an errand.

Already this year, there have been at least 14 infants and children who have died in the United States from hyperthermia, also known as heat stroke, after being left in hot vehicles. Some of these deaths occurred on days with relatively mild (i.e. 70-degree Fahrenheit temperatures). In 2005 there was a record 42 such preventable tragedies.

Infants and young children can suffer heat exhaustion and heat stroke in a few minutes, if left in enclosed vehicles. This is because children’s thermoregulatory systems warm three to five times faster than an adult’s. On a 93-degree day, the inside of a car can exceed 125 degrees in as little as 20 minutes. Cracking the windows enough to let in air is not an effective way to avoid the heat risks involved with leaving a child alone in a car on a hot day.

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Seattle's Child, a publication of the Washington Post Company
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