GEICO Safety Reminder: Don't Leave Youngsters in Unattended Vehicles

TUCSON, Ariz.--Arizona’s legendary hot weather is here and it’s a good time for a reminder about the dangers of leaving a child in an unattended vehicle whatever the weather conditions are.

"Leaving children alone in family vehicles creates very dangerous situations," said Martha Furnas, GEICO assistant vice president. “In extremely hot conditions, the rapid heat buildup could cause a child to suffer from heat stroke in just minutes. There are other dangers, too. A child might wander off, become lost, hurt or even kidnapped. We want to remind all parents and caretakers about these dangers.”

Deona Ryan, president-elect of the Pima County Child Abuse Prevention Council, said, “The most important thing for our community is that we all become involved in protecting children. We can’t rely on others to do the job. If you see a child unattended in a car, be an active participant and call 911. The child’s life may depend on it. Parents should be aware of potential dangers and never leave their child unattended in a car, even if they are asleep…not even for a minute.”

Ryan continued, “People may not realize, but heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. A child’s small size makes it hard for the child to shed heat. When left in a hot vehicle, a child’s core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or even death.”

Furnas added that pets also must be protected from extremely hot weather conditions that develop very quickly in parked cars.

Pima County Child Abuse Prevention Council offers the following safety tips:

• Never leave a child unattended in a car, even with the windows down. On a typically sunny, summer day, the temperature inside a car can reach potentially deadly levels within minutes. Animals also need the same protection.
• 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.
• If your child gets locked inside a car, dial 911.
• Research conducted on how heat in a closed car affects infants and small children focused on dry heat and showed that the temperatures in a closed car can become dangerous to small children and infants in only minutes. One study showed that with an outside temperature of 93 degrees, even with a window cracked, the temperature inside a car could reach 125 degrees in just 20 minutes