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Heat brings dangers for children in cars
By DANIELLE C. BELTON, Californian staff
writer,
e-mail: dbelton@bakersfield.com
Thursday May 29, 2003, 11:52:58 PM
Twenty minutes.
That's all it takes for a locked, previously air-conditioned car to
heat up to as much as 122 degrees on a sunny day.
In those 20 minutes, a parent might leave a child in the car, go into a
store, purchase an item and come out.
But by then, it might be too late.
"(Parents) try to save a second, save a minute by leaving their kids in
the car," said Cindy London with the Bakersfield Police Department.
"But how long will they spend in an emergency room? How long will it
take to plan the funeral? Or how many years will it take to get over the
death of a child?"
London is the community relations specialist for the Bakersfield Police
Department's crime prevention unit.
With temperatures rising in the valley, the Bakersfield Police
Department is trying to get the word out that adults should never leave a
child unattended in a car.
"It's a huge concern," London said. "We've had so many deaths all over
the United States, especially from the heat."
According to London, at least 150 children in the United States have
died in hot parked cars since 1996.
Thirty of those deaths occurred in 2002.
Leaving the window open slightly provides little or no help in keeping
the car's interior temperature down, BPD officials said.
Leaving a child under the age of 6 alone in a car is against the law in
California.
The law is often referred to as Kaitlyn's Law after Kaitlyn Russell, a
6-month-old who died in an overheated car. Violators can be punished with
a fine of $100.
While the heat in the car could kill a small child, that isn't the only
concern BPD officials have for the valley's smallest residents.
London said a car could be stolen while a baby is sitting inside.
Toddlers could accidentally put the car in motion, endangering themselves
and others.
Other accidents could happen, London said. Cars sometimes catch on fire
and there have even been instances of a child trying to get out of a car
seat and getting strangled in the belts and straps.
For more information about child car safety, parents can go online and
learn more at www.4rkidssake.org or contact the Bakersfield Police
Department at 326-3196.
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