07-26-19 Heatstroke and children in vehicles

Hawaiʻi Police Department
Traffic Safety Section
Torey Keltner
Program Manager
Phone: (808) 961-2305

 

 

Media Release

The Hawai’i Police Department asks for the communities help in reminding friends and family not to leave children unattended in vehicles for any amount of time.   

Heatstroke isn’t about irresponsible people intentionally leaving children in cars; most cases occur when a child is mistakenly left or gets into a vehicle unattended and becomes trapped. On average, one child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle nearly every ten days in the United States.  A total of 52 children died from heatstroke in 2018.

Heatstroke in children can happen quickly, as their bodies are smaller and weigh less, and are more prone to the effects of extreme temperatures. It doesn’t need to be a hot day. When the temperature outside is as low as 60 degrees, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach 110 degrees. If a child’s body temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child will die.

NHTSA encourages parents to check the back seat before leaving the car and to consider keeping a stuffed animal or another memento in your child’s car seat when it’s empty, and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Parents should also be mindful to keep keys out of reach of children and to keep car doors locked after exiting the car. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911. Chances are the child was left by accident. If the child appears in distress or is non-responsive, remove the child from the vehicle and spray the child with cool water.

For more information and tips to prevent heatstroke, visit “Where’s Baby? Look Before You Lock.”

 

 


This entry was posted in Media Releases. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Keep your community safe through Crime Stoppers

    Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

    The Crime Stoppers TV Program is available on-demand from Nā Leo TV.