As the weather warms up, parents must remind themselves of the serious threat posed to children when they get left in a hot car. It doesn’t even need to be a particularly sweltering day outside for danger to present itself. Even mild temperatures can heat up a vehicle in the sun to an unsafe degree. To protect children, the fire department of Santa Barbara County is offering a few safety tips.
Obviously, the first thing you should understand is that it’s never permissible to leave a child alone in a vehicle. There are ways to ensure you’re not going to accidentally do this. You should make checking the backseat for your child a part of your everyday routine. You might consider setting up a system wherein a stuffed animal is kept in the car seat but then moved up front when the child is in back. The animal thus acts as a signal to you that a child is in back and needs to be taken out of the car seat before you leave.
You should also take pains to protect your children even during those times when the vehicle remains stationary in your garage. A kid might explore, but it’s imperative that you explain to him or her that the vehicle should not be treated like a playground. Lock your automobile at all times, and further limit the risk that your child could crawl inside by keeping the keys out of their reach.
Finally, call 911 if you ever stumble upon a child left alone in a vehicle.