Last week, two young children died in Alabama after locking themselves into a parked hot car. The saddest part? Hot car deaths happen way too often.
An increasing number of child deaths have occurred due to heatstroke caused by children inside hot vehicles for extended periods.
As a parent, you want to take extra precautionary measures to avoid leaving your children behind in the car, along with teaching your children what to do if they ever find themselves inside a hot car with no way to get out. Let’s talk about hot car safety for kids.
Keep Your Vehicle Locked
Some hot car deaths occur because children get left behind, but there are times when children get into vehicles because those vehicles are not locked as was the case in Alabama.
If your children are playing outside near your car, you need to keep those doors locked to prevent them from accessing the vehicle.
The last thing you want them to do is to get into your car and succumb to their deaths because of the extensive heat.
Heat stroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths in children under 15.
HealthyChildren.org
You may think it could never happen to you, but it has happened to many grieving parents in the past, so it is better to stay safe than sorry.
Teach Older Children to Unlock Doors
While a baby would not understand how to unlock a door, teaching older children how to unlock doors is important.
If they find themselves in a situation where they get stuck inside a vehicle on a hot day, they need to know how to unlock the doors and open them.
Put Something in the Backseat With Your Children
When you feel tired and have a quiet new baby sleeping in the backseat, it is easy to forget that you brought the baby with you on your trip, whether you are on your way to the grocery store or a friend’s house.
Because you want to make sure you remember to take your child out of the vehicle with you, it helps to put something of importance in the backseat with your children, such as your purse, smartphone, house keys, or even your left shoe.
These are items you would typically travel with, so you would have a better chance of remembering to grab them, and then you would see your child in the backseat. This is an important hot car safety tip for parents to remember.
Take the Time to Understand Hot Car Safety
Understanding hot car safety is important. You do not want to unintentionally leave a child in a hot vehicle because it can cause them to die. Remember these quick tips for hot car safety:
- When you are not using your vehicle, keep it locked.
- Make sure to teach your children how to unlock cars.
- Do not forget to put something in the back to remind you that you have a child in the car, even if that child is sleeping and quiet.
What tips would you add to this hot car safety for parents list?
FREE Hot Car Safety Lesson
Subscribe below and receive a free hot car safety lesson.
It’s true. I locked my kids in a hot car to teach them a lesson about hot car safety. This is how I did it.
I should express that I like this article so a ton and moreover using it in regular. I believe you would continue sharing better than average article here.