summer public service announcement #2 - cars get HOT

Summer is in full swing. Days are long. Temperatures are rising. And the interior of a closed car gets blisteringly hot.

In fact, when outside temperatures reach 100° F., even with windows partially open ("cracked") , the temperature in the interior of the car reaches 138° F. in just FIVE minutes - and up to 150° F. in 15 minutes! Of course, the hotter the outside temperature, the hotter the interior of the car becomes. Dark-colored vehicles and those with more windows (like hatchbacks) heat up more quickly.

So far this year (2014),  there have been THIRTEEN heatstroke deaths of children left in cars in the United States. Last year there were 44 deaths. Since 1998, 613 children have suffered heatstroke deaths and of those, 69% were either intentionally left in the car (a parent/caregiver runs a "quick" errand leaving the child in the car) or "forgotten" by the parent/caregiver. Seventy-three percent of the children were under the age of two - in other words, unable to save themselves. These are preventable deaths of children.

Every summer local and national news programs, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and various parenting groups launch public service announcements warning people of the dangers of leaving children in cars. No one (well, almost no one) wants to leave a child to die in a hot car. And everyone thinks it won't happen to them. But it can. And it does.

So what else can we do?

Last year a Tennessee fifth-grader, Andrew Pelham, decided to do something to help adults "remember" not to leave their kids in the car and raise awareness of the danger of leaving a child in a hot car. He designed the E-Z Baby Saver as his entry in the Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors and was a national runner-up in the Engineering and Science Division. Andrew won a trophy and $500 with which he purchased a laptop and two Nerf guns (which he modified with rubber bands and duct tape!). He used his laptop to create his website, The E-Z Baby Saver, where he GIVES AWAY THE DIRECTIONS to make your own E-Z Baby Saver.

You will have to visit Andrew's website to see what the E-Z Baby Saver looks like - and I encourage you to do so. It is genius in its simplicity, practicality and use of inexpensive materials. While the E-Z Baby Saver won't save children who are intentionally left in a car, it could save the life of a child who is "forgotten."

Andrew not only has a head for business, he also has a heart for helping others. Do you? What would you do if you saw a child locked in a car in a parking lot on a warm day? Surprisingly, in a recent survey, about half of the adults who said they witnessed that situation walked on by without doing anything.

If you see a child (OR A PET!) left alone in a closed car, even if the windows are partially open, call 911 immediately and don't leave. The 911 operator will instruct you on what to do. Lives have been saved when strangers have gotten involved.

Enjoy summer but stay safe!