Summer heat is battering Texas as we kick off August. A heat advisory is in effect through the weekend, as temperatures are forecasted to exceed 100 degrees. The heat poses dangers like heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hot car deaths.
So far this year, the National Highway and Safety Administration reported 18 children died after being left or trapped in a hot car; 13 of the deaths happened in July, and 1 of those deaths happened in Houston.
This incident can happen to even the most responsible parents and guardians. Most kid hot car deaths are because of a change in daily routine that we typically do on autopilot. Amber Rollins, Director of Kids for Cars, says, “Our brain can fail us into thinking that we did something we didn’t do.”
Kids for Cars is a non-profit that advocates for child safety in vehicles.
They say the key is to build habits that ensure you are constantly checking the car’s back seat.
- Always check the back seat, not just looking but opening the back door
- Place an essential item like a badge, laptop, or purse in the back seat.
- Communicate with other parents and guardians about who is getting the child out of the vehicle.
Consider purchasing Evenflo, sensor safe chest clip. It is a buckle that connects to your phone via Bluetooth. If you do not unbuckle your child, it will send you an alert and other emergency contacts with GPS coordinates.
Rollins says it’s not only forgetting children in cars but also kids getting trapped in cars that can lead to hot car deaths.
“If the car is locked and the keys are out of reach, the child cannot get into the car alone. So, keep your cars locked 100% of the time, even if you don’t have children,” Rollins said.
Children often know how to get into the car but have difficulty getting out, because it is not an action they usually do. Kids for Cars suggests talking to your kids about staying out of the car and teaching them how to honk the horn if they get stuck, so they can at least bring attention to themselves.
If you see a child in a car unattended, always act—call the police and even break the window. The Good Samaritan Law protects citizens from liability if they break a window to rescue a child in danger, but most importantly, you could prevent injury and death.
“It’s common sense. You know, if a child’s if you come across a child alone in a vehicle, they’re unresponsive or they are, you know, in distress. You need to get them out immediately. By any means necessary, obviously. Check the doors first. Have somebody nearby call 911. But literally, a minute can be the difference between that child’s suffering, severe brain damage, or even dying,” said Rollins.