Preventing Hot Car Deaths and Children

THE SUNSHINE STATE LEADS THE COUNTRY IN CHILDREN DYING IN HOT CARS WITH 5 DEATHS SO FAR THIS YEAR. ALL OF THEM IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, A ONE YEAR-OLD LITTLE GIRL IN FORT MYERS, THE MOST RECENT VICTIM, THE TODDLER DIED JUST ONE WEEK AGO AFTER REPORTEDLY BEING LEFT IN A HOT CAR OFF COLLEGE PARKWAY. WHILE THE DRIVER WENT TO WORK, THE NONPROFIT GROUP KIDS AND CAR SAFETY SAYS THIS KIND OF TRAGEDY IS FAR TOO COMMON AND REPORTS ALMOST ALL HOT CAR DEATHS INVOLVED, CHILDREN 3 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER. THE ORGANIZATION SAYS SINCE THE 1990, AT LEAST 1000, 180 CHILDREN HAVE DIED IN HOT CARS AND AT LEAST 7500 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN INJURED. >> I'M JOINED BY AMBER ROLLINS. SHE IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KIDS AND CAR SAFETY. >> THIS ROLLINS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> SURE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. >> NOW, PERHAPS THE MOST HEARTBREAKING ASPECT OF THESE CHILD DEATHS, 100% OF THEM ARE PREVENTABLE. THIS YEAR ALONE, FLORIDA HAS LOST 5 CHILDREN AFTER BEING LEFT IN HOT CARS. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN FLORIDA THAT HAS PLACED OUR STATE IN THIS REALLY TERRIBLE POSITION OF HAVING THE HIGHEST HOT CAR DEATHS SO FAR THIS YEAR IN THE ENTIRE NATION. WELL, IN FLORIDA, IT'S HOT. >> POTTER AND HOT FOR LONGER. SO YOU GUYS ARE DEFINITELY AT AN INCREASED RISK. HUMIDITY ALSO PLAYS A FACTOR AND CHILDREN OVERHEATING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT ALL OF THESE THINGS WORKING AGAINST YO. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO STAY TOP OF MIND IN FLORIDA FOR ALL FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS ALL YEAR ROUND. REALLY? >> YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT. OUR TEMPERATURES, THEY AVERAGE IN THE 90'S. OFTEN OUR HEAT INDEX GOES ABOVE 100 DEGREES, WHICH IS VERY HOT. CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW THIS KIND OF HEAT WOULD IMPACT A CHILD THAT WOULD BE LEFT IN A CAR AND HOW QUICKLY? >> A VEHICLE ESSENTIALLY ACTS LIKE A GREENHOUSE. SO IT ALLOWS SOLAR ENERGY TO COME IN THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND HEATS UP VERY QUICKLY. IN FACT, THE MAJORITY OF THE TEMPERATURE INCREASE HAPPENS IN THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OR SO. AND THEN YOU COMBINE THAT WITH THE FACT THAT A CHILD'S LITTLE BODY TEMPERATURE RISES 3 TO 5 TIMES FASTER THAN AN ADULT. AND YOU HAVE A RECIPE FOR DISASTER IN LITERALLY MINUTES AND LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT OUR FURRY FRIENDS, TOO. DOGS ALSO DO NOT REGULATE THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE MUCH LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN AND CAN OVERHEAT VERY QUICKLY. I SAW SOME INFORMATION FROM YOUR WEBSITE. >> THAT TALKED ABOUT A ONE QUARTER OF HOT CAR DEATHS HAPPENED WHEN A CHILD GETS INTO THE CAR WITHOUT A PARENT OR A CAREGIVER, EVEN KNOWING IT. SO WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING? >> YEAH. SO THIS HAPPENS WAY MORE OFTEN THAN PEOPLE WOULD THINK. AND UNFORTUNATELY AND ABOUT 70% OF THE KIDS WHO GET INTO CARS ON THEIR OWN ARE LITTLE BOYS. SO, YOU KNOW, AGE ONE TO 4 LITTLE BOYS ARE THE MOST AT RISK. OF COURSE, WE DO WANT TO PROTECT THE LITTLE GIRLS AS WELL. BUT A COUPLE THINGS THAT PARENTS CAN DO. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. FIRST SAFEGUARD THE INSIDE OF YOUR HOME. SO THOSE DOORS LEADING TO THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME. SAFEGUARD THEM WITH THOSE DOOR COVERS. THEY MAKE THESE LITTLE STICK ON DOOR ALARMS THAT YOU CAN BUY ONLINE AND THEY WILL SOUND AN AUDIO TIME IF YOUR CHILD OPENS THE DOOR UNEXPECTEDLY A LOT OF TIMES THIS HAPPENS AT NAP TIME. A QUIET TIME WHEN MOM AND DAD ARE GETTING THINGS DONE AND THE CHILD IS SUPPOSED TO BE NAPPING AND THEY SNEAK OUTSIDE WITHOUT ANYBODY NOTICING. YOU WANT TO ALSO KEEP YOUR CAR LOCKED. 100% OF THE TIME. EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE CHILDREN AND KEEP YOUR KEYS AND KEY FOBS OUT OF REACH WHERE THE KIDS JUST CANNOT ACCESS THEM BECAUSE EVEN AT A VERY YOUNG AGE OF AROUND ONE YEAR OLD, THEY WATCH US USE THESE KEY FOBS AND THEY KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I HEAR A LOT FROM PARENTS IS I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT MY TODDLER COULD OPEN THE FRONT DOOR THEMSELVES OR GET INTO A CAR ON THEIR OWN. THEY'RE LEARNING NEW SKILLS EVERY DAY AT THIS AGE AND YOU MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THEY'RE CAPABLE OF DOING THIS AND THEN THEY DO. THE OTHER THING. WE REALLY WANT PARENTS TO BE MINDFUL OF IS IF YOUR CHILD GOES MISSING AND IMMEDIATELY CHECKED THE INSIDE FLOORBOARD AND TRUNK OF ALL VEHICLES IN THE AREA. EVEN IF THEY'RE LOCKED IN. AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE MANY TIMES THESE CHILDREN COULD HAVE BEEN FOUND IF THE PARENTS JUST KNEW TO GO LOOK IN THOSE AREAS. AND ONE THING THAT'S NOT REALLY TALKED ABOUT A LOT IS FOR THE KIDDOS TO GET INTO CARS ON THEIR OWN. TYPICALLY THAT CAR HAS BEEN PARKED AND CLOSED UP FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THEY ENTER THE VEHICLE. SO THAT CAR HAS ALREADY REACHED THESE DEADLY TEMPERATURES AND THEY'RE GETTING INTO THIS CAR. YOU KNOW, THE TEMPERATURE COULD BE ONE. 31 41, 50 DEGREES AND THEY'RE GOING TO BECOME VERY QUICKLY OVERWHELMED WITH HEAT, DISORIENTED, CONFUSED AND THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET THEMSELVES OUT. >> AND MORE THAN HALF OF THESE CASES OF OF HOT CAR DEATHS ARE WHEN THEY'RE FORGOTTEN BY A LOVED ONE IN THE BACK SEAT IN THESE ARE PEOPLE OF ALL THEY'RE ALL WALKS OF LIFE ARE CORRECT. AND AND AND WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING TO TRY TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT TO HELP HER MIND? PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS TO LOOK IN THE BACKSEAT. >> YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THIS CAN LITERALLY HAPPEN TO ANYBODY. IT'S HAPPENED TO A TEACHER POLICE OFFICER, A FIREFIGHTER, A STAY-AT-HOME MOM, A DAYCARE PROVIDER. IT'S HAPPENED TO MOTHERS AND FATHERS, PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND, YOU KNOW, THE INFINITELY ORGANIZED AND THE ABSENT MINDED ALIKE. I MEAN, IT JUST LITERALLY CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY. AND FORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, EVEN AFTER 30 YEARS OF EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THESE DANGERS, PEOPLE STILL TRULY BELIEVE THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO THEM. AND WE JUST DESPERATELY NEED PARENTS TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE HUMAN BRAINS THAT CAN FAIL US AND OUR MEMORY SYSTEMS. WHEN WE'RE SLEEP DEPRIVED FROM, WE'VE GOT CHANGES IN OUR ROUTINE AND WERE OPERATING IN AUTOPILOT MODE. WE CAN LITERALLY LOSE AWARENESS OF A SLEEPING BABY IN THE BACKSEAT IN A REAR-FACING CAR SEAT THAT WE CAN'T SEE. WE CAN'T HEAR BECAUSE THEY'RE SLEEPING AND IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY. >> AND WHAT IS YOUR ORGANIZATION RECOMMENDING AS FAR AS A WAY FOR PARENTS TO HAVE A PHYSICAL REMINDER? I KNOW THAT'S A COMMON THEME. YES. SO WE WANT HERE IS TO DO A COUPLE THINGS. NUMBER ONE, LOOK BEFORE YOU LOCK. >> OPEN THAT BACK DOOR. CHECK THE BACKSEAT EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE. >> THIS HAS TO BECOME AN EVERYDAY EVERY TRIP HABIT. SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN BEFORE YOUR CHILD'S BORN, IF YOU'RE EXPECTING START GETTING INTO THAT HAPPENED, IT TAKES A COUPLE WEEKS TO BUILD A HABIT AND THEN YOU JUST START DOING IT NUMBER 2, WE WANT AN ADDED LAYER OF PROTECTION. SO PUT A STUFFED ANIMAL, THE BACK SEAT OF YOUR CAR AND LEAVE IT THERE ANYTIME YOU BUCKLE THE BABY IN THE BACKSEAT. GRAB THAT STUFFED ANIMAL, BRING IT UP FRONT IN YOUR LAP AS A PHYSICAL Q, A REMINDER THAT YOUR CHILD IS WITH YOU. AND YOU KNOW, PARENTS WHO BELIEVE THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO THEM MAY THINK THIS IS KIND OF CRAZY. BUT WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT BEFORE THE MID 1990'S, WHEN CHILDREN USED TO RIDE IN THE FRONT SEAT, THEY WEREN'T FORGOTTEN BECAUSE THERE WAS A REMINDER RIGHT NEXT TO THEM. YOU COULD SEE THEM. THEY WERE RIGHT WITH YOU. BUT AS SOON AS WE MOVE CHILDREN TO THE BACK SEAT BECAUSE OF OVERPOWERED AIRBAGS. THESE DEATHS WERE CHILDREN BEING FORGOTTEN IN CARS JUST SKYROCKET AND THEY HAVEN'T GONE DOWN SENSE. SO CREATING THAT PHYSICAL REMINDER WITH YOU IN THE FRONT SEAT IS SO IMPORTANT AND THEN ONE 3RD LAYER OF PROTECTION WE REALLY RECOMMEND IS TALKING TO YOUR CHILD CARE PROVIDER WHO EVER WATCH AS YOUR CHAIRMAN AND ASKED THEM TO CALL YOU IMMEDIATELY IF YOUR CHILD DOESN'T SHOW UP AS SCHEDULED.