Children are at great risk for hyperthermia because a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s. When the body temperature reaches 104 degrees, the internal organs start to shut down. A body temperature around 107 degrees is fatal

When the sun is out and sometimes even on cloudy days, the inside of a car heats up much faster than the temperature outside. In just 20 minutes, the car can heat up by 29 degrees. On a day when the temperature is just 80 degrees, the inside of a closed car could reach 109 degrees in just 20 minutes. Cracking a window does little to keep the inside of a car cool.

The best thing to do is to NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE IN A CAR – not even for a minute.

In just 10 minutes a car’s temperature can increase by 19 degrees – and it continues to rise.

Ten minutes is all the time it takes for a car to reach deadly temperatures with a child locked inside.

Tip: Lock all vehicle doors and trunk after everyone has exited the vehicle – especially at home.

More than half of the reported heat stroke deaths occurred when a distracted caregiver forgot their child was in the car.

Now that is summer, we want to remind parents it’s extremely dangerous to leave children alone in cars, especially on hot summer days.

Even on a mild day, the sun can turn a car into a convention oven – a dangerous place for a child.

What can drivers do to offset this tragedy? (choose different tips)

  • Dial 911 immediately if you see an unattended child in a car. EMS professionals are trained to determine if a child is in trouble.
  • Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even for one minute. Leaving a window slightly open has no effect on the temperature in the vehicle.
  • Place a cell phone, PDA, purse, briefcase, gym bag or whatever is to be carried from the car on the floor in front of a child in a backseat. This forces the adult to open the back door and observe the child when they reach for their belongings.
  • Set your cell phone or Blackberry reminder to be sure you dropped your child off at day care.
  • Set your computer “Outlook” program to ask, “Did you drop off at daycare today?”
  • Have a plan that if your child is late for daycare that you will be called within a few minutes. Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off children at day care.
  • Teach children not to play in any vehicle.
  • Lock all vehicle doors and trunk – especially at home. Cars are not playgrounds.