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DPS: Leaving Children in Vehicles Can Be Deadly

Summer temperatures increase risk of vehicular heatstroke

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is warning residents that warmer weather places children at greater risk of injury or death if left unattended in a vehicle. Every year children die from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle or entering a vehicle unnoticed. A child should never be left unattended in a vehicle.

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“Because the consequences can be deadly, DPS urges parents and caregivers to always make sure children are accounted for and not left behind in a car,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Members of the public can also do their part to keep kids safe by notifying emergency personnel if they witness a child alone or in distress inside a vehicle – regardless of the weather.”

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, temperatures inside a car can rise more than 20 degrees in only 10 minutes; and even with an outside temperature of 60 degrees, the temperature inside a car can reach 110 degrees. Leaving windows partially rolled down does not help. In addition, young children are particularly at risk since their bodies heat up faster than an adult.

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DPS offers the following tips for preventing vehicular heatstroke deaths and injuries:

  • Always check the back seats of your vehicle before walking away.
  • Establish reminders that help ensure you remove children from the vehicle. For example: leave your bag, lunch or cell phone in the back seat with the child’s car seat.
  • Call 9-1-1 if you see a child alone in a car, and emergency personnel will instruct you what to do next.
  • If a child goes missing, open the doors and trunks to every vehicle in the area. Many heatstroke deaths occur when a child accesses a parked car unnoticed.
  • Teach children not to play in vehicles and make sure to place the keys out of reach when not being used.

For more information, visit www.safercar.gov/parents/index.htm.

Additionally, don’t forget animals are also susceptible to heat-related injury or death – don’t put your pets in these dangerous conditions. For more information on pet safety, visit http://goo.gl/xi6A8o.

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