Sometimes children are so quiet in the backseat that you can forget they are even there. It can be tempting to leave a sleeping child in the car so you don’t have to wake them up while running quickly into the store. But leaving a child alone in a car can lead to serious injury or death from heatstroke, even in cooler temperatures.
- Each year, approximately 37 children in the U.S. die from a vehicular heatstroke.
- Heatstroke occurs when the body core temperature reaches 104 degrees Farenheit, and reaching 107 degrees is often fatal.
- Young children are particularly at risk, as their bodies heat up 3 to 5 times faster than adults.
- A car can heat up 19 degrees in just 10 minutes, and cracking a window doesn’t help.
Union Health Foundation is providing Beat the Heat window clings through the Union Health Trauma Services Community Outreach Program. The clings can be placed inside the driver’s side window or upper left dashboard (not blocking driver visibility) to serve as a reminder to always check the backseat for children.
Click here to donate to Union Health Foundation’s Trauma Services Fund and help support our outreach efforts in the Wabash Valley.
