With heat advisories still in effect throughout the region, AAA Mid-Atlantic is warning drivers about the dangers of leaving a child in a hot car.
Parents who have made the tragic mistake of forgetting a child in their car on a hot day often cite a change in routine, like their kids going back to school, as a contributing factor.
But AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Ken Grant says there are other reasons.
“Sometimes it’s a miscommunication between parents. One parent will put the child in the car, assume that the other parent knows they are there, and they go out and run errands and the child ends up being left in a hot car", says Grant.
Grants adds you should never leave a child alone in a car - even for a moment or two.
And to help avoid these situations, he suggests creating electronic reminders or put something in the backseat you need when exiting the car.
Grant also says people should immediately call 9-1-1- if they notice a child unattended in a car.
He warns that even on more temperate days, a child can still be at risk.
“Understand that a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s body and it only takes a 72 degree day inside a closed vehicle to lead to a fatal mistake for a child”, Grant says.
Grant adds that on a 95-degree day, a car can heat up to over 180-degrees, the recommended temperature for cooking poultry.
To help avoid forgetting a child is in the car, AAA recommends leaving something in the backseat you’ll notice is missing right away, like a phone, purse, shoes, or wallet.
Heat stroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle related deaths for children under the age of 15, with an average of 37 fatalities per year since 1998.
According to the National Safety Council, there have already been 36 deaths in the US this year caused by children left in hot cars.
