Source: AgriLife Today
With summer temperatures climbing to triple digits, now is a good time to remind Texans of the dangers of children getting heat stroke while left unattended in vehicles.
Bev Kellner, AgriLife Extension family and community health program manager, said it’s important to remember that as temperatures increase so does the likelihood of heat stroke and death for children left in hot vehicles.
“Temperatures in parked vehicles rise very quickly and a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s, so the combination can be deadly,” Kellner said. “And children are far more vulnerable to heat stroke than adults.”
Kellner said in just 10 minutes, the temperature inside a vehicle can increase by almost 20 degrees.
Johnny Humphreys, chair of the Texas Heatstroke Task Force, said most child vehicular heat deaths can be avoided by following some simple steps, such as the guidelines of the ACT prevention statement of Safe Kids Worldwide.
“The ‘A’ stands for avoid heatstroke injury by never leaving your child alone in a car,” Humphreys said. “Always lock your doors and trunks, including in your driveway or garage. The ‘C’ stands for routinely creating a reminder so you will check the back seat before you park and leave the vehicle. And the ‘T’ means to take action by calling 911 when you see a child left alone in a vehicle.”
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