Oklahoma Agencies Urge Families to Be Aware of Hot Car Deaths for Children
May 1st is Heatstroke Prevention Day.
Oklahoma City, OK — Vehicular heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children 14 and younger in the United States. Oklahoma agencies, including the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, Safe Kids Tulsa, EMSA, Saint Francis Trauma Institute, Tulsa Fire Department and Tulsa Police Department urge families, parents and caregivers to learn and share critical information about the dangers of leaving children alone in hot cars. At today's press event held at the Tulsa Drillers' ONEOK Field, these Oklahoma agencies gathered to join the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) safety message: Once You Park, Stop, Look, Lock.
While preventing hot car deaths is important year-round, Heatstroke Prevention Day on May 1st is a good time to remind people of the importance of vehicular safety, because every hot car death is preventable.
"Parents and caregivers may think this sort of tragedy could never happen to them," said Beth Washington of Safe Kids Tulsa. "Sadly, 'never' does happen. Routines are often upended. It is during these moments of hurriedness and change that many of these tragedies occur. Once You Park, Stop, Look, Lock."
Since 1998, vehicular heatstroke has killed more than 1,000 children nationwide. Oklahoma has the third highest per capita rate of pediatric vehicular deaths. On average, one child dies from heatstroke every 10 days in the United States from being left in a car or getting into an unlocked vehicle. While hot car deaths can happen in any month, there's typically an increase from May through September.
Hot cars are deadly: internal vehicular temperatures can quickly rise up to 50 degrees warmer than outside temperatures. Because a child's body temperature increases 3 to 5 times faster than an adult's, even a cool day outside or parking under shade can still pose a threat to a child.
Oklahoma agencies advise all parents and caregivers to follow NHTSA's three simple steps to prevent hot car deaths.
- When getting out of the car, make it a habit to check the entire vehicle, especially the back seat, EVERY time.
- NEVER leave a child in a vehicle unattended, even for one minute.
- ALWAYS lock the car and put the keys out of reach.
Always remember: Once You Park, Stop, Look, Lock. These actions could save a life.
For more information on vehicle heatstroke, visit NHTSA.gov/Heatstroke. For current data, visit noheatstroke.org.
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