Have you ever thought about what kind of person would go off and leave a toddler or a small helpless child, during the HOT summer months, in a hot car, van or any other vehicle for any length of time? In my thinking I may have overlooked something, but I am going to give you my answer to this question. A person who would do this is either high on something, not playing with a full deck, or is not the child’s parent. Each year during the summer months, there are always several cases where an adult has gone off and left a child in a hot car, only to return to find the child dead or suffering from severe heat exhaustion.
While I am not an expert on this problem, I have friends at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital who are. Recently I received a press release from them about this very thing, and with the hope and prayer that it might save a few precious lives, I want to share this information with you. If you are a responsible adult, I believe you will think more than once about doing something like this in the future. To be sure, to go back to a hot car where you have left a toddler all alone, for even a short period of time, and find him dead will evoke a mental picture that you can never erase, even if you live to be as old as Methuselah.
Please consider this information and the consequences of not heeding it. Though it may not seem too hot outside to you, “children left alone in a parked car on a hot day can reach 130 to 170 degrees in as little as 15 minutes,” says Donna Parnell, trauma coordinator at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. She also says, “Direct sunlight and a dark-colored car can speed up the process. Heat exhaustion can occur at temperatures above 90 degrees and heat stroke may occur at temperatures above 105 degrees.
“When in a hot car, a child loses body fluids and salts through perspiration, causing heat exhaustion. If not treated immediately, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which prohibits the body from perspiring. Body temperature then rises, causing severe damage to the brain, liver and kidneys, and can even cause death.” A parked car is like an oven. With the doors closed and windows up, the temperature inside increases and becomes like an oven in a matter of minutes on a hot summer day.
Parents need to be cautious of leaving their vehicles unattended, especially during the hot summer months. Death can occur from a variety of situations, like children gaining access to vehicles themselves, to children who were left behind by adults including parents, caregivers, daycare providers, van drivers, and baby-sitters. These deaths are preventable. Here are some things parents and caregivers need to consider.
* Children playing who let themselves or others into unlocked vehicles. Many toddlers can wander off and into cars with open doors.
* Children who are left in vehicles by adults. In many cases, parents will leave a child, who is usually sleeping, for a brief time but can become preoccupied and leave the child longer than intended. Parents might not want to wake a sleeping child, so instead leave him or her in the vehicle.
What’s the answer? We have people in the auto industry who are smart enough to invent a message that says, “Remember Your Child,” and plays each time the driver’s door opens. This idea will save lives.
—(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)