Today is National Heatstroke Prevention Day 2023!
Every year on average, 40 children die in hot cars in the US
What can you do??
- Always keep cars locked & keys out of reach of children. If a child is missing – check in all cars!
- Ask childcare to call you if your baby doesn’t show up as planned!
- A car is not a babysitter. NEVER leave a child or animal alone inside a vehicle, not even for a minute!
- See a child alone in a car? Get involved! Call 911 immediately
- If you think it can’t happen to you, please think again. (Ray Ray’s Story)
*Image credit: kidsandcars.org
Embrace Life by Buckling Up [Video]
It never ceases to amaze me how many people do not use their seat belts while driving or riding as a passenger, even with all the statistics and evidence that proves the risk of severe and/or fatal injuries is immensely higher for those who do not buckle up. As a registered nurse, I’ve seen too much to ever think of being in a moving vehicle without my seat belt on to protect me.
An ad has been circulating to promote seat belt usage in a new way. It is a short, simple message, and yet so powerful and it is the hope of the creators that it will inspire people to stop and think about all they stand to lose if they should ever be in an accident while unbuckled.
Do yourself, your family, friends, and all of us a favor – BUCKLE UP and drive safely! Your loved ones will be glad you did!
Distracted Driving Kills: Please Watch With Your Teens (Video)
Alex Brown age 17,
Cady Reynolds age 16,
Margay Schee age 13,
Joe Teater age 13,
Ashley Johnson age 16,
Julie Davis age 58 – her granddaughter was 2.
Kassy Kerfoot age 18.
What do all these people have in common? They are the real names of some of the 5,500 people who die
and the 500,000 people injured on our roads each year due to distracted driving. Some of the victims are innocent occupants and pedestrians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Innocent – small consolation – dead is still dead. Most are under 20- they are our children- they are our future.
Distracted driving is texting while driving; it is talking on cell phones. It is any activity that takes the focus off of the task of safe motor vehicle operation. It only takes a moment of inattention. But enough of me rambling.
Below is a link to a video that is 3 minutes 50 seconds duration. If you watch it-you WILL be moved, you WILL make a difference in someone’s life. You will show a teenager in your family this video- you will watch it together. You will think twice before you respond to a text while driving. You will set an example for your kids to follow. Just 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
Making a difference- changing a life for the better need not take long- it usually just takes action. Please make a difference- pass this along.
For more information on teen and districted driving:
- Fatality Facts 2018 – Teenagers: https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/teenagers
What You Need to Know About Car Seat Safety? Ask a Fireman
Being a firefighter, I come across a lot of situations that make me shake my head in wonder. The one that my fellow firemen and I continually come across is installing and checking car seats and the many interesting and creative ways people have managed to improperly install a car seat. Whether you are the SUV with a few seats that have been installed for a while, or the new dad sweating on the way to the hospital stopping at the fire station asking the nice firemen to install your brand new seat, there are a few things that need to be taken into account when choosing your car seat and then installing your car seat.
What choice could matter more than that of the one your child is going to be sitting in as you motor around town? Choosing the correct car seat for your new baby or young child requires some homework and label reading.
First there is price. Car seats come in all price ranges, from free at some local fire stations and community organizations to very expensive with extra padding, lights and toys. Just because a seat costs more does not make it a better seat than the one next to it. Check online at places like www.consumerreports.com or www.safekids.org to find out how these seats compare to one another will give you better insight as to the correct choice for you and may even surprise you.
Next is the correct size seat for your child. This is the part about label reading that I mentioned before. Car seats are designed with a specific weight and height in mind for each seat and making sure the seat is the correct size for your specific child maximizes the safety of the seat for your child. Seats that are too big may allow for too much room for movement and seats that are too small may make your child uncomfortable and ultimately unsafe. Car seats should be securely snug but not a tourniquet.
Installation. Having your brand new car seat is wonderful and having it installed correctly is the most important factor of all. Where can I go to have my new car seat installed? There are many places that will correctly install your new car seat by using certified installation experts that have been trained on many different types of vehicles and the important points of each type of vehicle. You may want to call your local fire department or hospital for information on places to go for installation and you can also consult websites like www.safekids.org or the national highway traffic safety administration website http://www.nhtsa.gov to find installation centers in your area and may even find info on installation events going on in your area right now.
If you have any questions about a soon to be purchase of a car seat or the one that is in your car right now, please feel free to stop in at any fire station and ask for a check. We may shake our head but we love knowing your kids are safe.
God Bless!
How Can a Sock Monkey Make Commuting with Your Kid Safer?
Rarely do you find yourself getting excited while driving your kid to school. But, much to my teen’s chagrin, that’s just what happened one morning last week.
It’s all because my son was awake and observant that morning. As I was navigating a busy round-about near our neighborhood – he cried out, “What the heck?? Some crazy person has a life-size sock monkey in their front passenger seat!”
Now this intrigued me, but I didn’t manage to see the car since I was trying to keep us safe in traffic. So I asked him for more details, like who was driving. “It was a woman,” he said…..and then the all important clue: “And she had a little kid in a car seat in the back….what a weirdo!”
Now I am both a newly minted public health professional (MPH received last year!) and a child health and safety geek (seven years as Senior Editor at Pediatric Safety will do that to you!), so I immediately had a flash of insight. “Oh,” I said, “I know what she’s doing!!” “Oh that’s so cool!” I was practically bouncing up and down in my seat. Thankfully I had already merged into traffic on the local parkway.
“She’s taking her kid to daycare on her way to work, and the sock monkey is next to her to remind her that the child is in the back seat. When they aren’t using the car seat, the sock monkey sits in it – and when they put the little girl in the car seat, they move the sock monkey doll up front as a visual cue.”
The reason I was SO excited is this was an example of child safety in action. Forgetting a baby or young child in the back seat can happen to any parent when we are on autopilot, trying to get all the morning tasks done and get to work. And even a short time alone in a hot car can be fatal, since children’s bodies heat up faster than those of adults. More details on heatstroke and kids can be found at the links below:
- Safercar.gov – Tips to Avoid Child Heatstroke
- Healthychildren.org (AAP) – Prevent Child Deaths in Hot Cars
Given the risks of heatstroke, government experts and child advocates recommend memory helpers, like keeping a stuffed animal in the car seat and moving it up front when the child is strapped in (see the links above). Experts also advise parents to keep something critical for their day in the back near their child – like a purse, briefcase or mobile phone.
Now you might think that you don’t need to take measures like this….but research shows that the easiest way to adopt a new habit or remember something is to set up your environment to help you – like ridding your house of fattening foods, keeping your gym clothes handy and visible….or putting a life-sized stuffed animal next to you in the car when your child is in back.
I don’t know who the woman was on the road that morning, but I commend her effort to ensure her child’s safety – and she really made a child safety geek’s day! Oh, and if you’d like to buy a life-size sock monkey, they have them on Amazon.
How To Avoid Accidentally Locking Your Kids In The Car
Mornings can be hectic with little kids, right? There are breakfasts to be made, lunches to be prepared, and kids to be dressed, not including preparing yourself for your workday too. When all that is taken care of, you still have to get the kids into the car, along with whatever you need to take along for work that day.
And don’t forget the squabbling over rain coats, bickering over seating arrangements (but Mommy, I want to sit in his car seat today!) and then navigating the frustrations of rush hour traffic on the way to begin your day.
And there is the big chance that you forgot something very important.
It is very easy to be a distracted parent. There are so many curve-balls be tossed your way at once it can be hard to make heads and tails of the situation. Perhaps the biggest fear parents have in their morning routine is if they left something important at home. Did I grab enough diapers? Where’s the wallet? Do I have my phone? My keys? Did I make sure to turn off the stove?
And then there’s the remote possibility of accidentally locking your kids in the car.
Believe it or not, this kind of mental blunder is not uncommon to even the best parents. Most parents assume this would never happen to them… until it does. Many times local locksmiths are called in to help open the doors of a car and liberate the tots inside.
The following are a few tips that parents have learned the hard way that can help you remember not to lock your kids inside a car:
No. 1 — ANY TIME you leave your vehicle, make sure you ALWAYS have your kids with you
While this may seem obvious, what this means is if you need to hop out to grab something really quick from the supermarket, take the kiddos with you! If your one-year old that has trouble sleeping has fallen asleep in the backseat, and you desperately need diapers, you have a choice to make – and neither option includes leaving him in the back seat. In many states this is required by law, especially in those states where the temperatures can get pretty high (such as Florida). By making this a habit, you will avoid leaving them in the car, and locking them in the car by accident.
No. 2 — Don’t leave your Keys where the kiddos can get them
Even if you are in the comfort of your home. The auto lock feature on the key fob makes it easy for even a small child to secure the vehicle with themselves inside. Spare keys are a must, and please don’t make the mistake of putting the spare key on the same ring with your primary key. Finding a competent locksmith to create a spare is far easier than having this job done at the dealers.
No. 3 — Pre-arranged Communications with your child’s caregiver
Make sure you are in constant communication with your child’s caregiver and that they will call you if your child does not show up at day care. Parents have been in such a flurry, they have left their child in the backseat of the car as they head to work. These are the absolute worst lock-ins as they can be potentially fatal. There are “reminder” smartphone apps that require check-ins – if your child does not arrive at the caregiver’s location, a pre-programmed alert will be sent.
No. 4 — Check the Seat
Yes, a simple routine whenever you enter or exit your car should become second nature to a concerned parent. The same way you can check to make sure your keys, cellphone and wallet/purse are in your possession, you can flip your head to the backseat and make sure your little one is where he should be, Place a sign on the dashboard if it will help you remember.
No. 5— Have a Locksmith on Speed Dial
Despite taking every precaution accidents can and do happen, so have a plan in place for the “just in case” scenario, keeping in mind that the harshness of the situation will ultimately determine your response. If it is at the height of the heat of the day, 80 degrees and climbing and your child is in the car, you will want immediate action. Call the police, ambulance, and attempt to break a window for entry into the car.
If it is cool outside, and your child hasn’t been in the car for long, you may want a less drastic option, such as calling your local locksmith. Locksmiths are typically on-call 24/7 and will have no problem showing up onsite to spring your tiny tot from their imprisonment. If you need help finding one near you, and you are in the U.S., you can use this site for help in finding a local one near you.
In Conclusion — you must always be vigilant when it comes to car safety and your child. Parents tend to spend a lot of time researching the perfect car seat for their child in the event of a car accident, God forbid. However, they don’t really think that they’ll ever accidentally leave their child in the car. They don’t think they’ll ever be that sort of parent who could be so neglectful.
The truth is that it so easy to make the mistake of accidentally locking your child in the car. With the off chance of that happening, parents must remain vigilant and create a plan to prevent this situation ever happening. Take these tips to heart.
