According to Dr.
Jan Null, a certified consulting meteorologist at San Francisco State
University’s Department of Geosciences, in the first 6 months of 2013, children
left unattended in hot cars have resulted in 15 reported incidents of child
death. Seven of these deaths have been confirmed to have been caused by
heatstroke with the remaining eight deaths believed to have been caused by
heatstroke based on what was known of the circumstances surrounding those
deaths. At the halfway point of 2013, the number of children who died
unattended in hot cars is comparable to the rate of such deaths in the previous
year in which a total of 32 children died in this manner.
The average annual number of child deaths due to heatstroke
since the year 1998 is 37. This figure is, of course, much too high and the
issue is beginning to gain momentum in the mainstream media and among
grassroots awareness groups. Most people know about the dangers of drinking and
driving, and nonprofits such as the car donation program Kars for Kids have
campaigned against teens texting while driving, but leaving children unattended
in hot cars is yet another car safety issue we need to address now that summer
is officially here.
Mild Weather Too
Here is something you may not know: children can die of
hyperthermia (medical term for heatstroke) as a result of being left alone in a
vehicle even in mild 70 degree Fahrenheit weather. That’s because cars can heat
to unbearable (and life-threatening) temperatures quite quickly.
Did you think this can’t happen to you? That you’d never
leave your child alone in your car and just forget about him or her? That’s
what most normal parents think. But think again: ever had a senior moment? Some
experts believe that several critical events happening all at once and taking
up the resources of the brain, can lead to a “perfect storm” memory failure in
which a child might be left unattended in a car at length—even by the most
responsible of parents.
Obsessive Compulsive?
The smartest thing any parent can do is to check the
backseat of the car every time he or she parks. Does this sound a little
obsessive compulsive? Like Lady Macbeth’s hand washing or checking 50 times to
make sure the gas is off in the house before going to the movies?
The answer: who really cares what the neighbors think? The
important things: it’s summer; there is a known phenomenon in which parents
leave their children unattended in cars; and kids are dying. So take the extra
minute to check your backseat, even if it makes you feel a little silly. It may
just save your child’s life.
