LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As summer approaches and temperatures rise to scorching levels, parents will need to start double-checking their rearview mirror for a child before locking the car.
According to Kentucky State Police, 29 children die nationally every year because of vehicular heat stroke after they're left in a hot car. While 55% of parents unknowingly leave their child in a car, according to Kids and Cars research.
"'Bout every 10 days a child dies as a result of heat exposure in a hot car," said Kentucky State Police.
"It's very important to educate yourself about making sure you're always checking your car when you leave it," explained Dana Feldman, who's the mom to a 6-year-old girl, "It's tragic. It's so unbelievable that it can but we know that it does. So from a mother's perspective, I just tell myself 'even if you know she's not in the car, just check.'"
The inside of a car can reach temperatures as hot as 125 degrees in only minutes. Additionally, a child's body overheats up to five times faster than an adult, according to kidsandcars.org. Feldman makes sure her daughter knows how to escape a dangerously hot situation.
"I made her learn how to get out of our vehicle on her own. I've actually told her the importance of, if she's on a bus or a van for school, to never be left on that bus or van," said Feldman. "And if she ever is to beat on a window, let somebody know who's passing by that she's left in there."
To help bring awareness, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has placed stickers on gas pumps to remind adults never to leave their children or pets in the backseat.
"I still check three times every morning even if I'm not the one who took her to school. I check in the afternoon even if I'm not picking her up that day because it is something that does happen," Feldman said.
One way you can avoid a tragedy is to make sure you don't leave your kid in the car by checking the back seat every time you get out. Place a child's diaper bag or item in the front seat as a visual reminder. Make sure car keys are not within a child's reach, and if you see a child alone in a car, get involved and call 911.
Feldman wants all new moms to know: "You got this. You can do it, but just tell yourself to double-check."
