Avoid Trapping Infants In Cars

Leaving children unattended in a vehicle can have deadly consequences.

Since 1996, almost 200 children — at least 36 this year — have died of heat-related injuries after being trapped inside parked cars.

Medical Correspondent Emily Senay will give advice for parents on Wednesday's The Early Show to protect children from the tragic car event.

As unimaginable as it may sound, Senay says some infants are simply forgotten or left behind in car safety seats when an adult leaves the car.

Just last Wednesday in Texas, eight-month-old Jordan Thomas died in the back of an SUV that was driven by a daycare driver, who says he forgot to drop the infant off at a daycare center that morning.

The baby was found dead in a carrier seat between the rear seat and door, after his grandmother went to pick him up in the afternoon and daycare workers realized he was missing. He was left alone in the vehicle for most of the day in 100 degree F weather.

Officials say temperatures in the SUV could have reached a 140 degrees F. The driver has been charged with felony injury to a child.

Senay says when temperatures outside get into the 90s, the inside temperature of a closed car can rise to 125 degrees F within 20 minutes. But even on a warm, sunny day with temperatures as mild as 60 degrees F, the heat in a closed vehicle can rise to dangerous levels very quickly.

Children, Senay explains, are more vulnerable to heat than adults. A child's body temperature increases much faster than that of an adult, so heat exhaustion and heatstroke can occur within minutes. They become unable to produce sweat to reduce body temperature, the heart rate rises, they lose consciousness and their organ systems begin shutting down. At no time, Senay warns, should a child be unattended in a car.

Most of these incidents are accidents, and it's not always the fault of an adult. Kids can gain access to an unlocked car and lock themselves in. Car trunks can be especially hazardous if a child becomes trapped. To help avoid trapping a child in a car, the National Safe Kids Campaign has some safety tips for parents:

• Never leave your child in an unattended car, even with the windows down.
• Teach children not to play in and around cars.
• Always lock car doors and trunks, and keep the keys out of children's reach even at home.
• Be wary of child-resistant locks, and teach older children how to disable the locks if they become trapped in a motor vehicle.
• Check to make sure all children leave your vehicle when you reach your destination.
• Watch children closely around cars, particularly when loading or unloading items.
• Don't overlook sleeping infants.
• If your child gets locked inside a car, call 911 immediately.