SAFE KIDS Coalition Urges Parents to Never Leave Children Alone in Cars

Minnesota SAFE KIDS Coalition Urges Parents to Never Leave Children Alone in Cars; Rising Temperatures Can Mean Tragedy for Child Left Alone Inside Vehicle

    ST. PAUL, Minn., July 11 In the wake of recent incidents
involving children left in hot vehicles, the Minnesota SAFE KIDS Coalition,
coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council, is urging adults to be alert to
the potential for heat-related injuries.
    "Parents who think they can leave their child in a car for just a few
minutes don't understand that in those few minutes, tragedy can strike," said
Amy Carroll-Olson, coordinator of the Minnesota SAFE KIDS Coalition.
    In a hot vehicle, a young child's core body temperature can increase three
to five times faster than that of an adult.  At 93 degrees Fahrenheit, even
with a window cracked, the temperature inside a car can reach 125 degrees in
just 20 minutes and approximately 140 degrees in 40 minutes, Carroll-Olson
said.
    The Minnesota SAFE KIDS Coalition and the Minnesota Safety Council offer
the following advice:
    -- Never leave children unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows
       down.  This applies to pets as well.
    -- Teach children not to play in or around cars.
    -- Always lock car doors and trunks -- even at home -- and keep keys out
       of the reach of children.
    -- Watch children closely around cars, especially when loading or
       unloading items.
    -- Always make sure all child passengers have left the car when you reach
       your destination.  Don't overlook sleeping infants.
    -- Keep rear fold-down seats closed to help prevent kids from getting into
       the trunk from inside the car.
    -- If your vehicle has child-resistant locks, teach older children how to
       disable the driver's door locks if they become unintentionally trapped.
    -- Contact your automobile dealership about getting your vehicle
       retrofitted with a trunk release mechanism.
    -- If a child does become trapped inside a vehicle, get him or her out
       immediately and call 911 or other local emergency number.
    -- When restraining children in a car that has been parked in the heat,
       check to make sure seating surfaces and equipment (car seat and seat
       belt buckles) aren't overly hot.
    -- Shade the seat of your parked car and consider using windshield shades
       in front and back windows.

    A free brochure about keeping children safe in and around cars in warm
weather, "Never Leave Your Child Alone," is available on the Minnesota Safety
Council's Web site at http://www.mnsafetycouncil.org
    The Minnesota SAFE KIDS Coalition is a part of the National SAFE KIDS
Campaign, the first and only national organization dedicated solely to the
prevention of unintentional childhood injury, the number one killer of
children ages 14 and under.  The Minnesota Safety Council, which coordinates
the Minnesota SAFE KIDS Coalition, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit
organization dedicated to making Minnesota safer place to live.