"Beat the Heat...Check the Backseat!"

"Beat the Heat...Check the Backseat" is a slogan the National Weather Service is using to remind people to be sure they remember small children who may be in a car seat and to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle - even for a few moments!

Heat is the number one related weather fatality every year with children and the elderly being the most at risk.  Did you know that heat stroke can occur in only a matter of minutes, particularly in children?  Their body temperatures warm at a rate 3 to 5 times faster than an adult's.  In the last 12 years, 475 children have died nationwide from heat stroke suffered while in a vehicle.  So far this year, 29 children nationwide have died!  Temperatures inside a vehicle can rise very quickly within only a matter of minutes.  For example, take an outside temperature of 80° and within 20 minutes the temperature inside a vehicle rises to over 100°.  In an hour the mercury can reach as high as 123°.

Here are some safety recommendations:
- Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even for a minute
- If you see a child unattended in a vehicle, call 911
- Be sure that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading.  Don't overlook sleeping babies
- Always lock your car and be sure children don't have access to keys or remote entry devices.  If a child is missing, check the car first!
- Keep something in the carseat and when the child is put in the seat place it in the front with the driver - or place your purse or briefcase in the backseat as a reminder
- Make "look before you leave" a routine whenever you get out of the car
- Have a plan that your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up for school

A lot of this information is based on research by Jan Null, a Certified Consulting Meteorologist.  Find out more information here.