Summer can be an exciting time for families, especially with school holidays and travel. But this can also be the time for many unfortunate events. Every year around 5000 children get locked up in cars around Australia which on average is around 5 kids per day. Around 10 to 15 kids die each year as a result of being locked in a hot car.
Dr khillan is a well know paediatrician from Melbourne who warns parents about the dangers of leaving kids alone in a hot car. There are many reasons why kids get locked up in cars. It can be that the parent is so exhausted or tired that he/she forgets that there is a child in the car or that they are multi-tasking and in a hurry. Sometimes, children access the keys of the car at home and play games like hide and seek in the car and accidently lock themselves in the car. In very rare cases, the child is left intentionally in the car.
The results of leaving a kid in a hot car can be devastating. Extreme heat can cause dehydration in kids leading to exhaustion, anxiety and even unconsciousness. Extreme heat can also have an adverse effect on the child’s brain and nervous system and in extreme cases can lead to death.
If a child is pulled out of a warm car, you can do the following to check if the child needs medical attention:
1. Check the temperature of the child and if it is between 38 and 40 or more, call ambulance immediately (000)
2. If the child is crying but there are no tears, it means he is dehydrated and he needs medical attention.
3. If the child is not responding to his parents or seems disorientated, it means the heat has affected his brain and he needs medical assistance.
4. Pull the child’s tongue out and if it is dry, the child is extremely dehydrated and needs medical attention.
To avoid such disasters, there are some simple habits that people can adopt to avoid leaving kids in the car on a hot day.
1. Keep the keys of the car out of reach of children.
2. Make a habit of turning around and looking at the back seat when you stop at your destination to open your seat belt.
3. Keep an important thing in the back seat like your work badge or a mobile phone so that when you pick it up to leave the car, you will see your child in the back seat.
Please note that leaving minor kids in the car alone is illegal.
If you are a bystander who notices a kid in the car alone, it is your duty to inform the ambulance or police about the situation immediately.
Breaking the glass of someone else’s car to take the baby out can lead to offence charges.
