How Can We Prevent Vehicular Hyperthermia?
Summer is most definitely here. The sun and heat, as much as we love it, can come with dangerous trade-offs. Among one of them is child fatalities in hot cars. A study put out by the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University offers current data about vehicular hyperthermia deaths in the U.S.
This year alone, there have been at least 10 deaths in hot vehicles. An examination of media reports that over a 13-year period, 51% resulted in a child being “forgotten” by a caregiver. A surprising statistic showed that 30% of deaths was a result of the child playing in an unattended vehicle, and 17% were intentional.
It sounds obvious to mention these tips, but maybe it will prevent future incidents.
1. Teach children that the car is not a play area.
As mentioned above 30% of deaths results in the child playing in the car while the parent wasn’t aware of it.
2 Keep a watchful eye on children at all times.
Parents should teach their kids that the car is not a play area. An obvious safety tip is to not allow your children to have access to keys and to look before your leave. Others include placing a stuffed animal in the front with the driver or the purse in the back, as a reminder that there is a child is in the vehicle.
