Prevent Heat-Related Car Tragedies
Over the past decade, hundreds of children nationwide have been forgotten in vehicles, some of whom met with tragic endings. If you are reading this information and saying, “That won’t happen to me”, then you should know that forgetting children in vehicles can happen to anyone. It could happen for a variety of reasons, such as fatigue, stress or lack of sleep. It could also happen if you are distracted or busy on your cell phone when exiting the vehicle (for example, when speaking or texting while locking the car door while the children are inside) and so on.
Important: a prolonged stay in a closed vehicle is dangerous, particularly for children, toddlers and infants whose body temperature rapidly rises and who are unable to extract themselves from the vehicle on their own. Hence, children must not be left in a vehicle for even one moment! One moment endangers life and might end in a tragedy.
Forgetting children in the summer and the effect of heat in the vehicle on children
Forgetting children in a car is dangerous throughout the year but in the summer, forgetting children in a car is particularly dangerous: when a car is locked and the air conditioner is not running, the temperature can quickly rise to 50 degrees, at any time (not just summer). Add to this the fact that body temperature rapidly increases, and you have a potentially fatal result, particularly among children and infants, since their body temperature rises 3-5 times as fast as that of adults.
Important: studies show that the increase in temperature in a vehicle primarily occurs within the first minutes. For this reason, children should not be forgotten in a vehicle, even for a short period of time.
Never leave children alone in a vehicle – not even for a minute
Some vehicles today are fitted with an automatic locking system in which the vehicle locks 30 seconds after the engine is turned off. If the vehicle locks with children or animals inside, it is critical that the car be broken into before the vehicle heats up. On more than a few occasions, children enter a parked car (that is either running or turned off) and lock themselves in it. To prevent this type of situation, hold the car keys either in the hand or in the pocket to prevent the vehicle from locking with the keys inside, or in a bag in the vehicle.
When exiting or entering the vehicle: leave the door open until the children exit or driving begins. Report any abandoned vehicles to the authorities to prevent children from entering them.
The window is open? That is not enough: even when leaving a window open in the vehicle, the temperature rise will endanger children.
To minimize the chances of such an incident, there are several safety rules that you need to follow as well as several tools that can help you confirm that no child is left in the vehicle. These tools are designed for anyone transporting babies or children. All these tools should be used, rather than just one.
Establishing habits as a safety net against forgetting
- Place next to the back seat, next to the children, items that you must have with you, such as a bag, wallet or cell phone.
- Establish a habit of calling your partner once you drop the children off and agree that if they do not receive a telephone or message from you by a certain hour, they should call to confirm that the children are not in the vehicle.
- Activate the reminder on the cell phone (“Remove the children from the car”) before the estimated time of arrival at the destination.
- Leave an object of the children (such as pacifier or bottle) on the door next to the driver’s seat as a reminder when exiting the vehicle.
Preventing children from entering the vehicle alone
- Always leave the vehicle locked when not driving.
- Make sure that the children do not enter a vehicle on their own when you are not with them.
Behavior and paying special attention when exiting the vehicle
- Make sure that everyone has exited the vehicle before you lock it.
- Avoid any distracting activity such as speaking or texting.
Products that help prevent children from being forgotten in a vehicle
The Ministry of Health does not recommend any of the products or companies. Purchase and use are the responsibility of the consumers alone. Before purchasing any safety product, it is important to review and determine whether it is suitable for your needs.
Remember that responsibility for forgetting children in the vehicle is that of the driver, and any method you choose is only a tool to help you assume this responsibility.
The information was written with the assistance of Beterem National Center for Children’s Safety and Health.