Beware of dangers of hot cars, police remind

As we approach the hotter part of summer, the Ponca City Police Department  reminds everyone the importance of not leaving children, vulnerable adults, and/or pets in vehicles.

The temperature in vehicles can rise very quickly and cause death in very short amount of time.

Children dying from heatstroke in cars, either because they were left or became trapped, have reached a record number. In 2018, 52 children lost their lives — the most in more than 20 years.

This year is off to a sad start with the 11th such death reported on June 8.

More than half of vehicular heatstroke cases from 1998 to 2018 were because an adult forgot about a child, according to NoHeatstroke.org.

Among the trends the group discovered in these incidents:

• About 44 percent of the time, the caregiver meant to drop the child off at daycare or preschool.
• The end of the workweek — Thursdays and Fridays — saw the highest number of deaths.

You may be asking yourself: How does this happen?

Families who lost a loved one thought the same thing at one point, but then the tragedy happened to them. Let this be your reminder to keep alert, avoid distractions, and put safeguards in place so your child is never left in the back seat.

Vehicular heatstroke deaths don’t just happen when a child is forgotten. The second leading cause (26 percent) of such deaths are children getting into unattended vehicles. Get in the habit of always locking your car doors and trunk, year-round. The temperature inside a car can reach 110 degrees, even when the temperature outside is as low as 57 degrees.

Never leave a child alone in a parked car, even with the windows rolled down or the air conditioning on. A child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adult’s.

Remember: Kids and hot cars can be a deadly combination. Don’t take the chance. Always look in the front and back of the vehicle before locking the door and walking away.

Help spread the word on social media, #HeatstrokeKills #CheckforBaby

For more information, visit: https://www.nhtsa.gov/child-safety/help-too-many-children-are-dying-hot-cars