KidsAndCars.org Warns Parents To "Look Before You Lock" After Anderson Toddler Dies In Hot Car
Last updated on Tuesday, June 5, 2018
(UNDATED) - KidsAndCars.org, an organization advocating for injury control and child safety in relation to automobiles, warns parents of deadly statistics in wake of the death of a 3-year-old girl after being left inside a car for several hours.
Police say the girl, identified as Hannah Grace Miller, was found unresponsive after being left inside the car for about two hours.
Her father found her in the car and immediately started performing CPR. She was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Regional Hospital at 6:40 p.m. Sunday, according to the Madison County coroner.
The coroner says the child's cause of death was acute heat exhaustion/overheating.
According to KidsAndCars.org, in over 55 percent of cases similar to this, the person responsible for the child's death unknowingly left them in the vechicle.
KidsAndCars.org urges parents to take these facts into consideration:
The Greenhouse Effect in Vehicles
The inside of a vehicle heats up VERY quickly! Even with the windows cracked, the temperature inside a car
can reach 125 degrees in minutes.
80% of the increase in temperature happens in the first 10 minutes
Cracking the windows does not help slow the heating process OR decrease the maximum temperature
Children have died from heatstroke in cars in temps as low as 60 degrees.
Contributing Factors
A child's body overheats 3‐5 times faster than an adult body.
A change in daily routine, lack of sleep, stress, hormone changes, fatigue, and simple distractions are things all
new parents experience and are just some of the reasons children have been unknowingly left alone in vehicles.
Rear‐facing car seats look the same whether there is a baby in it or not.
Children, especially babies, often fall asleep in their rear facing child safety seats; becoming quiet, unobtrusive little passengers.
Memory (Competing Brain Systems)
Prospective Memory: processed by 2 brain structures 1. Hippocampus, stores new information, the 'here and now' (processes that a child is in the car) 2. Prefrontal Cortex, enables us to plan future, accounting for a change in routine (processes route, including to go to daycare rather than straight to work)
Habit memory: forms subconsciously through repeated activities like riding a bike
What actually causes a parent to forget their child is in the car? According to a fact sheet from the organization, a part of the brain called the basal ganglia takes over and suppresses the prefrontal cortex mentioned in the list above. The brain is on autopilot, doing what it would do on any given day, not accounting for changes in routine. Memory
specialists note that the basal ganglia is much more likely to take over when someone is fatigued.
"Parents lose awareness that their children are in their cars. Tragically, these parents report that they had pictures of
their child on their desks, they talked about their child, and even left work on time to pick up their child from daycare," said Dr. David Diamond, Neuroscientist at the University of South Florida.
KidsAndCars.org suggests following these tips to prevent heat stroke tragedies:
"Look Before You Lock" Get in the habit of always opening the back door to check
the back seat before leaving your vehicle. Make sure no child has been left behind.
Create a reminder to check the back seat.
Put something you'll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID or brief case, etc., in the back seat
so that you have to open the back door to retrieve that item every time you park.
Keep a large stuffed animal in the child's car seat. When the child is placed in the car seat, place the
stuffed animal in the front passenger seat. It's a visual reminder that the child is in the back seat.
Make sure you have a strict policy in place with your childcare provider about daycare drop‐off. Everyone involved in the care of your child should always be aware of their whereabouts. If your child will not be
attending daycare as scheduled, it is the parent's responsibility to call and inform the childcare provider. If your child
does not show up as scheduled; and they have not received a call from the parent, the childcare provider pledges to contact you immediately to ensure the safety of your child. (this is very similar to the 'absence‐line' used by most elementary, middle and high schools)
Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in driveways or garages. Ask home visitors, child care providers and neighbors to do the same.
Keep car keys and remote openers out of reach of children.
Never leave children alone in or around cars; not even for a minute.
If a child goes missing, immediately check the inside passenger compartments and trunks of all vehicles in the area very carefully, even if they are locked.
A child may lock the car doors after entering a vehicle on their own, but may not be able to unlock them.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
Be especially careful during busy times, schedule changes and periods of crisis or holidays. This is when many tragedies occur.
Use drive-thru services when available (restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners, etc.) and pay for gas at the pump.
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