It feels like every day local news is telling yet another story of a child put in danger after being locked inside a hot car in the summer sun. Today is National Heatstroke Prevention Day, a day for parents and childcare workers to refresh their checklist to ensure they’re doing all they can to prevent the children they care for from suffering from in-car heatstroke.

Did you know that:

• Last year alone, 44 childrenin the United States lost their lives after being left in unattended motor vehicles.
• More than half (52%) of kids who died from vehicular heatstroke were “forgotten”by their caregiver
• A child’s temp can heat up to 5 times fasterthan an adult’s on a hot day
• Studies show that when the temperature outside is 90 degrees the temperature inside a parked car can rise to 109 degrees in 10 minutes, 119 degrees in 20 minutes and 124 degrees in 30 minutes.

To help address this issue, Ford Motor Company is supporting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s efforts to tackle the alarming safety threat that heatstroke poses for young children left in hot cars by sharing with you their tips:

1. Never leave infants or children alone in a parked car, even if the windows are partially open
2. Make sure the safety seat and safety belt buckles aren’t too hot before securing a child in a restraint system
3. Don’t ever leave sleeping infants in the car
4. Be sure to check the front and back seats of a vehicle before locking it and walking away
5. Lock your car when you’re not in it, so kids can’t get in on their own

If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, possibly sufferings from heatstroke, the NHtSA recommends calling 911 or your local emergency number immediately. If the child is in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Cool the child rapidly (not an ice bath but by spraying them with cool water or with a garden hose).

For more information on heatstroke in vehicles visit www.safercar.gov/heatstroke.

image, statistics, and tips courtesy of Ford Motor Company