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Danger of Children Left in Hot Cars May Increase

The new recommendation issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that all children under two years old or under 30 pounds may end up having a negative impact on the safety of our children.  Unfortunately, it is more likely that the child will be forgotten in the car.  Last year 49 children died of heatstroke after they were left in hot cars, a grisly new record. 

From 1998 to 2010 there were approximately 500 deaths of chldren due to being left in hot cars, including 15 in Missouri and 8 in Kansas.  Sadly, over half of the parents interviewed simply forgot their kids were in the car. 

A local Leawood woman, Janette Fennell, compiled these number for her non-profit organization, Kids and Cars, which has become a national leader in child safety.  According to Fennell, "They think of the people this happened to as monsters, and they don't put in place the safeguards you should.  If you have the ability to forget your cellphone, you can forget your child". 

"Look Before You Lock", will be the mantra on warning tags that will go into take-home kits for new mothers as they leave hospitals.  In addition, Safe Kids USA is starting a "Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car" campaign to remind parents about the dangers of children overheating in closed vehicles. 

In the 1990s, the last time experts pushed a new campaign to use rear-facing car seats, the number of children who died in hot cars spiked.  In fact, according to Kids and Cars, more children died from being left in hot cars, than died because of air bags.  

Psychology professor at the University of South Florida, David Diamond, shares the concern that more children will die of heatstroke simply because their parents will forget the child is in the car.  He likens the situation to the cup of coffee put on top of the car - you remember it is there when the coffee spills down the windshield as you pull away.  In our multitasking world, the human mind tends to focus on what it is doing at the moment  Stress, lack of sleep and changes in routine - all common characteristics for new parents - can add to that tendency.

Several advocacy groups and even a few inventors have suggested alarms or sensors to alert parents when a child is still in the car seat when the vehicle is turned off.  Unfortunately, most people feel this is a situation that can't happen to them, so manufacturers are not moving forward. 

Some parents have come up with their own solutions to the problem, such as a stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder there is a child in the back.  Others simply place their purse and diaper bag in the backseat as a reminder.  Fennell says that people have to believe it can happen to them so they will take appropriate measures to remind themselves of this deadly danger, but for most parents that day has yet to come.   

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