"As a father, I know that parents' days are busy, hectic and rushed," said North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, who oversees the Safe Kids North Carolina initiative. "But my wife and I have pledged to never leave our children unattended in the car, even for a few minutes. Children's lives are worth it."
The mission of Safe Kids NC is to educate parents and caregivers about preventing accidental injury and death in children from birth to age 14.
Since 1999, approximately 18 children in North Carolina have died from heat exposure after being left in a car unattended, according to statistics from the North Carolina Department of Insurance; July is the deadliest month of the year.
"The death of a child in a hot car is a tragedy that is totally preventable," said State Health Director Dr. Jeff Engel. "The air inside a car can heat up very quickly. Heat stroke occurs when a person's temperature reaches 104 degrees; 107 degrees is considered lethal. Heat is much more dangerous to children than to adults.
According to Engel, a young child’s temperature may increase as much as five times faster than an adults body temperature when left in a hot vehicle.
“It’s amazing how fast the inside of a car heats up,” said Richmond County Sheriff Dale Furr. “There’s no child or animal who can stand anything like that.”
Furr encouraged locals to call law enforcement when this type of situation arises.
“We’ve had people to call us when they’ve accidentally locked a child in their car,” he said. “We can come assist them and we’ll do everything we can to make sure the child gets out safely. And people need to call us if they see a child or pet locked in someone else’s car in the heat, or if it’s a small child it doesn’t matter if it’s in the heat. We will get there, take care of business and contact social services or do whatever we need to do.”
NCDOI Spokesperson Johanna Royo said the incident reports she has seen prove how even the most well-intentioned caregivers can fall victim to deadly distraction.
“It’s so surprising because these are not the people you think of as bad parents,” said Royo. “They’re teachers, pastors, day care workers, moms - they’re not people that you think would make that mistake. So everybody needs to know that it’s possible.”
Officials at NCDOI offer the following advice for child care providers:
n Never leave a child alone in a vehicle.
n When parking your vehicle at home, always lock car doors and trunks, and keep keys out of children's reach. Teach children that cars are not places to play.
n Watch children closely around cars, particularly when loading and unloading. Make sure that all children leave the vehicle with you when you reach your destination. Don't forget sleeping infants.
n Busy parents have a lot of their minds, so give yourself a reminder. Place your purse, briefcase or other important items in the back seat next to your child's car seat so you have to look in the back before leaving the car. Or keep a stuffed toy in your child's car seat. When you put your child in the seat, move the toy up front as a reminder.
n If you see a child or pet left unattended in a vehicle, call 911 immediately.
For more information visit usa.safekids.org.
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