Child Safety

Yet again, another incident of children trapped in a car's trunk turned tragic. Please keep in the back of your mind, when a child goes missing, think first and foremost to look in the trunk. Or in the car. Ideally the car should be locked and kids not have access to it, but real life isn't ideal. Your neighbors, friends, family members, could have an old car sitting there that is tempting for kids to play in. Tell everyone you know, so this doesn't happen again to another child.

Also, keep your car keys out of sight. This hot weather can be deadly in minutes to a child trapped in a car. Never leave a child in your car, not even for a minute.

The following is great advice I found here:

"Approximately one-third of child fatalities from car overheating occur when kids crawl into unlocked cars and get trapped. Be sure to lock the doors, lock the trunk and keep the keys out of children's reach.

Double-check to make sure all children get out of the vehicle at your destination. Every year there are new cases of parents or caregivers forgetting and leaving sleeping babies or small children in vehicles. As a reminder get into the habit of placing your cell phone, purse or briefcase on the floor of the rear seat, near where the child is seated, to make sure you have to enter the rear seat before leaving the vehicle. Some safety suggestions are:

• Use drive-thru services when available. Use your debit or credit card to pay for gas at the pump.
• Be wary of child-resistant locks. Teach older children how to unlock the doors if they unintentionally get locked in a vehicle.
• Ask your dealer about getting your car retrofitted with an interior trunk release.
• Hot interior surfaces can burn a child's skin. Before you put your child in a car that has been parked in a warm spot, check the temperature of the car seat or upholstery.
• If your kids do get locked in a car, get them out as quickly as possible. If he/she is hot or seems sick, call 9-1-1 immediately for follow-up assessment.
• If you find a child left alone in a parked car, call 9-1-1 and get some air into the car, even if you have to break a window. Local prosecutors can file criminal charges of child endangerment or neglect against an adult who leaves a child alone in a car - anywhere, even for a minute."