Two-year old Cooper Harris is the latest death of a child having been left and forgotten inside a hot car. According to Kids and Cars, a nonprofit child safety organization, he is the 14th child to have died this year in the US after being left in a vehicle.
In only a matter of minutes, the temperature inside a closed vehicle can rise by 20 degrees. So, if the ambient temperature is 90, after about 10 minutes, the temp in the car can be well over 100 degrees.
Kids and Cars has some tips to help prevent these kinds of horrible deaths in children:
- Get in the habit of checking your backseat for children and pets.
- Keep a large stuffed animal in a child’s carseat; when you place the child in the carseat, put the stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder.
- Place something you’ll need, such as a purse or briefcase, in the back seat or on the floorboard in front of the child’s carseat.
- Make arrangements for your daycare provider to call you within 10 minutes if your child does not arrive as expected.
- Never leave a child alone in a car for even a minute. Instead, use drive-thru services when available.
- Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in your garage or driveway. Keep keys and remotes out of the reach of children.
In the United States, heat stroke is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle fatalities for children 14 and younger.