Kids, 2 & 4, get locked in car, die of suffocation

The headlines practically screamed at me! What a waste of precious life! All because we cannot take necessary precautions? It immediately brought back memories of another headline just a few months back

You might feel that by leaving the windows just a crack open or by running the AC full blast before parking the car, can prevent this but researchers found that the spike in temperature is delayed by just five minutes.

So what should you do to prevent this catastrophe?

• Never leave children alone in or around cars; not even for a minute!
• ‘Look before you lock’ – Make this a rule – if you have children, Always look in the back seat before locking the car,  to see whether any children are left behind.  Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of day to day life or if the mind is preoccupied, one quickly walks out of the car, locking it and forgetting that one has left behind one’s child.
• Keep an item that you will need, like your wallet or bag in the back of the floor, so you will be forced to check the backseat.
• Another trick – keep a large, stuffed animal in the child’s car seat (You do have an age-appropriate seat, don’t you!!!). When the child is sitting in the seat, keep the toy in the front, and this serves as a reminder.
• Always lock your car – after you have a look inside, never keep an unattended vehicle unlocked. Also, please remember to put the handbrake on and the car in gear when it is parked (there have been many instances when children have accidentally set the car in motion with disastrous consequences both for themselves as well as for others!)
• Keys and/or remotes are not toys. Children are especially fascinated by the sounds of the remote and the lights that come off and on and may be able to unlock a locked car, get to it and be trapped in it.
• If your child is missing, first check the car and the trunk of the car – many kids have used this as a hiding place and get trapped in it.
• If someone other than you is dropping off your child, please make sure that the child has reached safely.

If you see a child alone in a car and the child appears awake and alert

• Do not wait for more than a few minutes to take action if the driver does not return.
• Stay with the child till the driver returns and if not within a few minutes then break down the windows with the help of others.
• While you are waiting, have someone hunt for the driver.

If you see a child alone in a car and the child appears unresponsive or in distress

• Call 100 (the police) immediately.
• Break open the windows and get the child out.
• Spray the child with water (no ice please!).
• If you are trained in CPR and if you feel that the child needs it, initiate it.