Dangers of Leaving a Child Alone in a Vehicle
The Cedar Rapids Police Department would like to remind citizens of the dangers of leaving children unattended in a vehicle. Heatstroke (hyperthermia) is the biggest danger. A child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s body. Heatstroke can damage the brain and other body organs. It can even lead to death.
It doesn’t take long for a child’s body temperature to become too high very fast when left in a car because the temperature inside a car can increase 20 degrees in just 10 minutes and 40 degrees in an hour. It doesn’t have to feel hot outside to be dangerous inside a car. Deaths have happened when it’s just above 70 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Leaving the windows open slightly does not prevent the temperature from rising to a dangerous level.
Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children. On average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. These tragedies are completely preventable. Here’s how we can all work together to keep kids safe from heatstroke:
Reduce the number of deaths from heatstroke by remembering to ACT.
A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so that children don’t get into the vehicle on their own.
C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine. Small children can sleep so soundly in the vehicle that adults have actually forgotten that their child is still in the vehicle.
T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.
For more information, please visit our website at www.cedar-rapids.org/police or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cedarrapidspolicedepartment.
