The thought of a parent leaving (sometimes forgetting) their
child alone in a car is unimaginable, but the reality is that this happens! On
average, 40-50 kids die each year in the U.S from being left or forgotten in a
vehicle. The cause of death?
The temperature inside a car on a summer day, even with the
windows rolled down an inch, can quickly rise above 120 to 140 F. Even on a
relatively mild day, the temperature inside a car can get above 100 F. At
temperatures like this, kids are at high risk for heat stroke, which can lead
to high fever, dehydration, seizures, stroke, and ultimately death.
You may believe the chances of this happening to your child
are highly unlikely, I mean how could a parent possibly forget their child in
the back seat? How could their child get into the car without their knowledge?
Well, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
published these cases from the death certificates of 804 children who have died
in hot cars since 1994. In approximately 55% of these cases, the parent was
unaware the child was in the vehicle.
• A 6-month-old “baby died when accidentally left in hot car for
three hours, died when outside 90 F temperatures rose to 130 F inside the
closed car, parents thought the other had carried the baby from the car to
crib.”
•
A 9-month-old died after being “left strapped in child safety seat in a
sweltering minivan for two hours – misunderstanding between child’s parents
resulted in the child being left alone in the van; one parent believed infant
was at home with other.”
•
A 23-month-old died when a “relative babysitting child, put the child in the
car for a trip to the store, went back in the house having forgotten something,
was distracted by something on television, sat on the couch to watch, fell
asleep, woke up two hours later.”
•
A 2-year-old “child apparently slipped away from parents and siblings, fell
asleep atop blanket in an unlocked car in the driveway of the home, oldest
sibling found child 40 minutes later.”
•
A 2-year-old died after a “parent left child in the car after returning home
from errand – was left for more than an hour.”
These
descriptions are shocking, to say the least. But these tragic and preventable
deaths may all be put to an end thanks to a 10-year-old boy named Bishop Curry
from McKinney, Texas.
The
Oasis Device
Two
years ago Bishop came up with the idea to invent a device called the Oasis. You
can attach it to a headrest or car seat, and its purpose is to sense if a child
is left alone while simultaneously monitoring the temperature inside the
vehicle. Once the temperature gets to a certain level, that’s when the device
blows out cold air all while also alerting parents and authorities.
He
came up with the idea after his neighbor’s 6-month-old baby girl died from
being left in an overheated car. Initially, he had made a 3-D clay model of the
Oasis device with hopes to have enough money to manufacture the real product
one day.
 |
| OASIS |
Since
then he and his father have managed to raise $50,292 of their $20,000 goal on gofundme.com. This money is currently being put towards
manufacturing the final product and securing the patent. According to nbcnews.com, Toyota, the car manufacturing company, was
so impressed by Bishop’s idea that they sent him and his dad to Michigan for a
safety conference.
His
father proudly tells NBC that he works for Bishop, filling out his emails,
answering his telephone calls, and taking Bishop to his meetings with the
attorney. “People are donating to a belief, a belief that the world can change
through one child,” says Bishop’s father.
So as
parents wait for the day they can finally own this life-saving device, what can
be done in the meantime to prevent such an unnecessary tragedy from happening?
Look
Before You Lock: Make it a habit that you check the back seat each time you get
out of the car before you lock the door, even if you aren’t transporting your
child. Doing this every time will instill the habit.
•
Get your kids out of the car first, and then worry about getting the groceries,
etc., out of the car when you get home.
•
When running errands, don’t leave your child in a car. Even if it’s just a few
minutes, a car can quickly heat up, especially on a hot, sunny day.
•
Keeping your car locked and your keys out of reach, so kids can’t get in the
car by themselves.
•
If a child is missing, in addition to checking the backyard and any other
areas, make sure to check inside the vehicle and trunk of any nearby
cars.
Leaving
the car running and the air conditioning on doesn’t make your child any safer.
The child could get abducted, or they could put the car in drive. Anything can
happen! Currently, 20 out of the 50 states have laws against leaving children
in vehicles unattended.
 |
| boredpanda.com |
If you
happen to come across an incident where someone has left their kid(s) in a car:
•
Call 911 immediately.
• Use your judgment, if the child is in obvious distress get them out of the car ASAP!
• The police might tell you to break the window.
• Use your judgment, if the child is in obvious distress get them out of the car ASAP!
• The police might tell you to break the window.
IN GHANA CALL : 191 OR 18555
Final
Note
Parents
are not perfect, and mistakes can happen. However, it’s never okay to leave
children alone inside a car. So please don’t do it. Take those extra
precautions, store those keys in a place where they can’t be reached, be
mindful, check the back seat, and always communicate with your partner,
babysitter, or family about the whereabouts of your child.
