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Look Before You Lock!

Young children are particularly at risk, as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s. These tragedies are completely preventable. The Colorado Springs Fire Department wants to work together to keep kids safe from heatstroke. Babies and young kids can sometimes sleep so peacefully that we forget they are even there. It can also be tempting to leave a baby alone in a car while we quickly run into the store. The problem is that leaving a child alone in a car can lead to serious injury or death from heatstroke.

Create extra reminders and communicate with daycare providers or people that are driving with your child. Create a calendar reminder for your electronic devices to make sure you dropped your child of at daycare.

Develop a plan with your daycare so that if your child is late, you’ll be called within a few minutes. Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off children at daycare.

Teach kids not to play in or around cars. Make sure to lock your vehicle, including doors and trunk, when you’re not using it and teach kids that trunks are for transporting cargo and are not safe places to play.

Action Steps You Can Take:

REMEMBER TO A.C.T.:

A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.

C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.

T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

OTHER ACTION STEPS:

  • Always keep your car keys out of reach from children to prevent them from getting into the car without your knowledge.
  • Make sure all children exit your vehicle when you reach your destination.
  • If your child does get locked inside a car, get him or her out as soon as possible. If you can't get them out yourself, call 911 immediately.

*Source SafeKids Worldwide & Kids in Cars

You can download and print this Kids Locked in Cars flyer.