Temperatures are going to keep rising around California, and with that in mind, we’d like to post a reminder about the danger posed by hot vehicles. It’s imperative that you don’t underestimate the hazardous situation created when a child is left in a vehicle in the sun. Even on relatively cool days, it might only take a few minutes for the interior to heat up to an unsafe degree.
Take the steps necessary to protect not just your kids but those of others. If you’re ever going about your day and you spot a child who has been left alone inside a vehicle, then dial 911 at once. If the circumstances are such that the kid in question already appears as if they’re succumbing to heat exhaustion or heatstroke, then you’re within your bounds to safely gain access to the vehicle and remove the child. However, if you do this, be absolutely certain that what you’re looking at is indeed a child and not an empty carseat.
An empty carseat is exactly what tends to trip parents up and make them forget that they’ve even placed their children in the back. If parents switch off daycare drop-off duties, for instance, or one parent fills in for the other for some reason, it’s easy to forget that a child is in the back, especially if that child has fallen asleep.
To make sure your child is never victimized by a simple memory lapse, get in the habit of placing something you can’t go without in the backseat, like a cellphone or wallet. That way you’re always looking back. You can also keep something like a stuffed animal in the carseat while not in use so that when a child does use the carseat, you can place that object next to you as a sign that your child remains in the back.
As stated above, it takes hardly any time at all for the car to heat up, and thus even running into a gas station or store for a quick errand could prove hazardous, especially if you get held up. Take your child with you if you have to leave your vehicle or else considering delaying the activity altogether.
You also need to take steps to ensure your kids aren’t going to get into your vehicle when you’re not around. Stress to your children that an automobile is not a plaything and keep the doors locked and the keys out of their grasp at all times. That way, they won’t accidentally lock themselves in a trunk or otherwise put themselves in danger.