June 5, 2003
For Kids Sake
By Nancy Gay ngay@wmbb.comNews 13 on Your Side
The South Walton Fire District is teaming up with 4 R Kids Sake, a California organization dedicated to creating awareness about the dangers of leaving children alone in cars. Every summer at least 27 children die because they are left inside a hot car. The SWFD is displaying pictures of a six month old baby named Kaitlyn on their fire rescue trucks. Kaitlyn died after being left alone inside a car in California in August. Her mother lobbied for California to pass Kaitlyn's law, a bill prohibting people from leaving children unattended inside motor vehicles. Florida has a similar law. The statute states people can not leave a child under six alone in a car for more than 15 minutes. If they do they can face a fine of $100. The statute also says it's illegal to leave a child alone for any period of time in a car with the motor running. That offense comes with a fine of $50-$500. The SWFD hopes that by displaying this message people will think twice before leaving their child unattended.
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