HOT CARS ARE DEADLY FOR CHILDREN

DOVER – As temperatures soar, hot cars are deadly for children. A Baltimore 2-year-old lost her life on Monday after being left in a car, the eighth such death this year nationwide and the third for June. The Division of Public Health (DPH), Delaware Coalition for Injury Prevention, and Safe Kids Delaware remind people to take precautions and “ACT” to prevent such tragedies:

• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.
• C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.
“Children are particularly vulnerable to heat,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “A child’s body heats up to five times faster than an adult’s and the temperature in a car can rise sharply in a matter of moments. Tragedies such as these are preventable with the few simple ACT steps.”

“Heatstroke can happen anytime, anywhere,” said Jennifer McCue, Chair of Safe Kids Delaware and Injury Prevention Coordinator at Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. “Sadly, this tragedy is a reminder that we need to continue to talk about injury prevention, to continue to educate and raise awareness about heatstroke so all parents and caregivers have the information and resources they need to keep their kids safe.”

On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 100 and 120 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes.

Since 1998, more than 635 children across the United States have died from heatstroke while unattended in cars. You can help us spread the word in the community to stop these preventable deaths.

None of the recent child deaths occurred in Delaware.

For more information, visit the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/extremeheat/warning.html and the Safe Kids website at www.safekidsde.org.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, drink almost no sugary beverages.

About Safe Kids Delaware
Safe Kids Delaware is a 501(c)3 non- profit organization established in 1989, dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Its members include State and County agencies, the Fire Service, EMS, Parks and Recreation, and more. Safe Kids Delaware is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury. For more information on SAFE KIDS national programs and priority areas, visit www.safekids.org.

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Rita Landgraf, Secretary
Jill Fredel, Director of Communications
302-255-9047, Cell 302-357-7498
Email: jill.fredel@delaware.gov

Delaware Health and Social Services – Division of Public Health

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