Safe Kids ND Working to Eliminate 'Forgotten Child' Deaths

Safe Kids North Dakota (SKND) is working together with coalitions across the country to educate parents and caregivers on the dangers of leaving children unattended in a vehicle.

Between 1998-2010, 447 children died from heat stroke because they were unattended in vehicles that became too hot for them to survive. More than 50% of the children who died were forgotten by a caring adult who became distracted when they left the vehicle. 30% of the children were left unattended or gained entry into an unlocked vehicle and became trapped and overcome by heat.

It only takes minutes for a child to be at risk of serious, permanent injury or death in a hot car. In just 10 minutes, the temperature in a car can increase by 19 degrees. Within an hour, the temperature can reach 130 degrees. This creates a particularly dangerous environment for children because their core temperature heats up 3-5 times faster than an adult's and they have no way to protect themselves from the heat.

Safe Kids ND and the NDSC offer these safety tips to help prevent these horrible tragedies:

• Set your cell phone to remind you to drop off your child at childcare.
• Set your computer program or leave yourself a note at work asking "Did you drop off at childcare today?"
• Never leave your child alone in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.
• Lock all vehicle doors and trunk - especially at home. Keep keys out of child's reach.
• Teach children not to play in vehicles.
• Check vehicles and trunks FIRST if a child goes missing.
• Create a plan with your childcare provider - if your child is late to arrive, have the care giver call you. Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off.
• Place your cell phone in the back seat on the floor. This will force you to open the back door, which could eliminate accidentally leaving your child in the car.
• If you see a child left alone in a vehicle, call 9-1-1 immediately.

For a printable version of these safety tips, click here and visit the Resources page.
For a demonstration on how quickly vehicle temperatures rise, click here.