Summer officially kicks off on June 20, but Utah is already feeling the heat. As temperatures rise and we head into the hottest stretch of the year, it’s a critical time to remind everyone about the dangers of leaving children in vehicles.
“Even if it’s 2 minutes, you bring your child with you,” said Karlee Kump, a community health manager with Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
Experts warn it is never safe to leave a child in a vehicle—not even for a minute. The risk of unintended injury or death increases quickly in the heat.
According to Intermountain, it only takes 10 minutes for the inside of a car to become 20 degrees hotter than the outside temperature—and that kind of heat can become deadly fast. Even on cooler days, a vehicle can turn dangerous. When it’s just in the mid-60s outside, the interior of a car can reach more than 110 degrees.
Utah knows this danger all too well.
On Sept. 22, 2022, a 1-year-old girl died after she was left in her father’s car for seven hours while he was at work. That morning, he had been dropping multiple children off at different schools and daycares and forgot she was still in the vehicle.
He was charged with negligent homicide, though the worst punishment may come in the quiet moments—the agony of remembering his mistake.
“That’s why it’s important when you are transporting kids—whether they’re your own kids or a niece, a nephew, friends—to make sure that you double-check your back seat before you exit your vehicle,” Kump said.
Kump said, fortunately, there are simple ways to protect your child.
“Put a daily essential next to them—your purse or wallet, your cell phone, or any of those items you would automatically realize you didn’t have and needed.”
She also suggests placing something in the front seat as a visual reminder.
“You can put something in the front seat by you so that you remember, you know, like a stuffed animal…” she said.
And if you see a child alone in a car?
“If you see a child in the car unattended, don’t hesitate to call for help. Call the police, call 911, and get that child out of the vehicle,” said Kump.
There’s also another common and often overlooked danger: when kids climb into a vehicle on their own.
“Kids want to explore. They want to play. The car is a fun place to be,” Kump said.
That’s why it’s important to lock your vehicle every time and keep the keys out of reach—whether that means putting them in your pocket or storing them high up where children can’t access them.
According to Intermountain, about 25% of hot car deaths happen when a child gains access to an unattended vehicle.
For more information or to request a free “Spot the Tot, Forget Me Not” window cling to help remind you that there’s a child in the car, visit Intermountainhealth.org/childsafety.
发表回复