With much of the country still suffering under record-high temperatures, Safe Kids Oconto County is reminding parents that the space inside of a car can quickly rise to deadly temperatures —and that caregivers should never leave children alone in a vehicle, even for a minute.
Doing so puts children at serious risk of heatstroke, which has resulted in seven deaths so far this year and at least 1,132 hot car deaths since 1998. In more than half of these cases, the parent or caregiver unknowingly left the child in the vehicle.
Lower temperatures do not take away the risk. Many times, people are surprised to learn that deaths in hot cars have occurred on days with temps as low as 57 degrees.
Intentionally leaving a child in the car isn’t always the case in these tragedies. Children sometimes gain access to a vehicle without their caregiver knowing, people forget children when their normal routines are disrupted, or a quick errand takes longer than expected.
“Our goal is to make sure that heatstroke doesn’t claim the life of another child,” said Mary Rosner, Safe Kids Oconto County coordinator. “Many people are shocked to learn that the temperature within a car can rise 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes and keep getting hotter with each passing minute. And cracking the window doesn’t help. With temperatures rising to dangerous levels, we’re calling on everyone to be part of the solution and help save lives.”
Heatstroke sets in when the body can’t cool itself quickly enough. A child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s, making them more susceptible to heatstroke. When a child’s internal temperature reaches 104 degrees, major organs begin to shut down; when that temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child can die.
Safe Kids Oconto County is asking everyone to help protect kids by remembering to ACT:
• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so children don’t get in on their own.
• C: Create reminders so you don’t forget to take your child from the car. Put something next to your child that you will need at your final destination, such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call.
For information on preventing child heatstroke deaths, contact Safe Kids Oconto County at 920-834-7000 or visit www.safekids.org/heatstroke.
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