Beat the heat, check the back seat, or look before you lock. Two simple phrases that will go a long way in preventing children or pets from being left in the back seat of a hot car for any length of time.
As you know the last two weeks in Kansas City, we have been stuck in a historical early summer heat wave. It is only going to hotter this weekend. Extreme heat can prove deadly. We all lead busy lives and may be tempted to leave our dog, cat or even kid in the backseat for a short time to run a quick errand. This can be a deadly mistake. That’s why Janette Fennel, president of the Leawood, Kansas based kidsandcars.org, created the look before you lock program. Here is some advice she offers to help parents avoid deadly mistakes:
- Back seat - put something in the back seat of your vehicle that requires you to open the back door every time you park - cell phone, employee badge, handbag, etc.
- Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.
- Stuffed animal - keep a stuffed animal in your child's car seat. Place it on the front passenger seat as a reminder when your baby is in the back seat.
- Ask your babysitter or child care provider to call you if your child hasn't arrived on time.
- Focus on driving - avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.
- Every time you park make it a routine to open the back door of your car to check that no one has been left behind.
At 41 Action News we did an experiment to see how fast a car heats up on a hot day. Here is what we found. At 11 a.m. on a recent morning, the interior temperature of an SUV in the sunshine rose 40 degrees in 10 minutes. At 11 a.m. the thermometer read 80 degrees, by 11:10 it read 120 degrees. This is an excellent illustration how dangerous it is to leave a child or pet inside for any length of time.
It is also dangerous to let our kids play outside on hot days for long periods of time. Because kids are smaller, they don’t sweat like adults and it is harder for the little ones to sweat enough to keep their bodies cool. Keep an eye on the kids, especially if they exercising. The K-State Extension Service says hot weather can trigger a heat stress trilogy. What is a heat stress trilogy? It is these three conditions; heat cramps, followed by heat exhaustion and eventually heat stroke.
If a child is suffering from heat exhaustion, get them into a cooler location, lying down with their feet slightly elevated. Next try to lower their body temperature with cool, wet clothes. Give them water or a drink that has electrolytes and watch them for an hour to make sure their symptoms are improving. If someone is suffering from heat stroke, then it is a 9-1-1 emergency. Heat stroke occurs when the body temperatures reaches 104 or higher. The risk of death increases with the length of delay in getting medical help. Even if victims survive untreated heatstroke can damage their brain, heart, kidneys and muscles.
When it is hot we always say, remember to drink lots of water. Just how much are talking about? Check out the table below that I put together based on your kids playing outside for an hour.
Weight Amount of Water 100 lbs 70 ounces 80 lbs 60 ounces 60 lbs 50 ounces 40 lbs 42 ounces
This is likely going to be a long hot Summer with one or two more heat waves on the way. So lets’ remember to drink plenty of water, limit the amount of time outdoors and at the pool and don’t forget to check the back seat.