The U.S. Department of Transportation and Health and Human Services are calling on Head Start and child-care agencies to promote a nationwide program to prevent child fatalities in hot vehicles.
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood joined Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Friday for a press conference held at George Washington Head Start in Alexandria, Va., immediately before an emergency response and rescue demonstration. Emergency personnel responded to 911 calls regarding a child left unattended in a vehicle.
“Safety is our top priority for everyone on our roadways, but we have a special responsibility to protect our most vulnerable passengers,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “While parents and caregivers are the first line of defense, everyone has a role to play in preventing these needless tragedies.”
NHTSA’s Precautions to Prevent Child Heatstroke• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle – even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on; • Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away; • For caregivers transporting children by van or bus, check every seat to make sure no child is still in the vehicle before locking and leaving the vehicle; • Ask the Head Start or child care provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected; • Do things that serve as a reminder a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a cell phone, purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidentally left in the vehicle, writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver’s view to indicate a child is in the car seat; and, • Teach children a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child’s reach. Source: NHTSA campaign “Where’s Baby? Lock before you lock.” |
Added Secretary Sebelius: “By engaging the nation’s network of Head Start staff and child care providers we can potentially reach the parents of the 13 million children in early care and education programs with important information and simple steps that can save lives.
Earlier in the week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration joined with Safe Kids Worldwide, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, a parent advocate and local health professionals to launch “Where’s baby? Look before you lock” campaign in response to 20 child fatalities since 1998. Georgia is the sixth state where NHTSA and Safe Kids Worldwide have held similar events.
NHTSA said heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children under the age of 14, as temperatures inside a vehicle can reach deadlin levels in only 10 minutes, even when a window is rolled down two inches. NHTSA added that infants and children under four years old are especially vulnerable. The issue has been high on the agency’s safety list for the past two summers.
The new campaign includes a pledge for both parents and early child-care agencies that includes collaboration and communication when a child is expected to arrive home or at the agency or educational center but does not.
A study by San Francisco State University Department of Geosciences shows 33 children died last year due to heatstroke – medically termed “hyperthermia” – while there were at least 49 deaths in 2010. An unknown number of children are also injured each year due to heatstroke in hot cars, suffering ailments including permanent brain injury, blindness, and the loss of hearing, among others.
Often heatstroke deaths and injuries occur after a child gets into an unlocked vehicle to play unbeknownst to the parent. Other incidents can occur when a parent or caregiver who is not used to transporting a child as part of their daily routine inadvertently forgets a sleeping infant in a rear-facing car seat in the back of the vehicle. The problem also affects school bus drivers, who can forget to look for sleeping students at the end of routes. Many school districts have implemented driver-check procedures but the problem still persists.
Joining LaHood and Sebelius at the press conference were Leticia Ryan, M.D., from the Children’s National Medical Center and Reginald McKinnon, the father of a child heatstroke victim.
