It is that time of year.Temperatures soar, and so do the deaths of children related to heat stroke.The National Highway Traffic Safety Association wants to get the message out: “Heat Stroke Kills.”
Last year, they had an active media campaign: “Where’s Baby?” This year, the message was tweeted through social media, #HeatStrokeKills.The campaign was simple, “We are tweeting for 24 hours about the dangers of heat stroke and tips for prevention!”
Among the educational messages that were tweeted: "Good Samaritan laws offer legal protection for those who offer assistance in an emergency! There's no excuse not to help!” and “One person who did take action! #heatstrokekills Woman smashes window to rescue kid locked in hot car,” a YouTube video.
The NHTSA reports that a child dies of heat stroke every 10 days in the United States from being left in a car.There have been 671 such deaths since 1998.There have been 12 deaths this year. Last year, there were 24 deaths.The year 2010 had the greatest number of deaths at 49, according to statistics.
These are preventable tragedies.Even when outdoor temperatures seem mild, the heat inside the car can be deadly. A car can heat up to over 110 degrees even on a mild day with outside temperatures of 60 degrees.The vehicle temperature can rapidly climb 20 degrees within 10 minutes, according to the NHTSA.
Parents Central, an educational program for families about safer cars, offers the following suggestions on what to do when observing a child alone in a locked car.
- Don’t wait more than a few minutes for the driver to return.
- If the child is not responsive or is in distress, immediately:
- Call 911.
- Get the child out of the car.
- Spray the child with cool water (not ice water).
- If the child is responsive:
- Stay with the child until help arrives.
- Have someone else search for the driver or ask the facility to page them.
Of the deaths reported since 1998, 54 percent were children left in the car and forgotten by the caregiver, 28 percent were children playing in an unattended vehicle and 17 percent of those children that died had been intentionally left in the vehicle by an adult.
One of the tweets during the educational campaign pointed out that we all can contribute to prevention, “Protecting children is everyone's business. If u see a kid in a hot car, take action!”
#HeatStrokeKills
