Look before you lock

Every summer, we seem to hear a few tragic stories about children and pets who die after being left in hot cars.

According to the  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 600 children have died as a result of heatstroke since 1998, making it the leading cause of non-crash-related fatalities for children 14 and younger. Of those, 52 percent were forgotten in a vehicle, 29 percent gained access by themselves and became trapped, 18 percent were left intentionally, and 1 percent were unknown cases.

Some startling facts:

• A child’s temperature can increase 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s.
• The internal temperature of a car can increase 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.
• Heatstroke fatalities have occurred with outside air temperatures as low as 80 degrees.

What can you do?

• Never leave a child alone in a vehicle.
• Teach your children that playing in vehicles – even when they are parked in your driveway – is extremely dangerous.
• Train yourself to check the front and back seats of your car every time you get out. Look before you lock!
• If you see a young child in a parked car, act quickly. Call 911 and attempt to locate the parents. If the child appears to be in distress, see if you can gain access to the car.