Join Us for a Day of Social Media Conversation July 31 Is National

Join Us for a Day of Social Media Conversation
July 31 Is National Heatstroke Prevention Day.
Your Quick Action Can Save a Young Life.
Problem: A child dies from heatstroke about once every 10 days from being left alone
in a hot vehicle. In fact, heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle
fatality for kids 14 and younger. Children climb into unlocked cars to play, or are left alone in
the car. These are tragedies that are 100 percent preventable.
Action: NHTSA is asking you to help us raise awareness about the dangers of kids and cars through a concerted day-
long social media conversation. NHTSA is reaching out to our State and safety partners to tweet and post on Facebook
every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. @NHTSA.gov will be using the hash tag #heatstroke on all its social
media posts and asks you to do the same. As we approach rising summer temperatures, the dangers for kids left in hot
vehicles increases exponentially.
Sample social media posts:
zz No child should die of #heatstroke from
being left alone in a hot car! Share this badge
if you want to help stop this 100-percentpreventable tragedy.
zz If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle,
call 911 or your local emergency number
immediately. If the child is in distress due to
heat, get that child out as quickly as possible.
Cool the child rapidly by spraying the
child with cool water or with water from a
garden hose (an ice bath isn’t necessary nor
desirable). Visit www.safercar.gov/heatstroke
for more information.
zz A child’s body absorbs more heat on a hot
day than an adult’s does. Where’s Baby? Look
before you lock! #heatstroke
zz High body temperatures can cause a child
permanent injury or even death. Where’s
Baby? Look before you lock! #heatstroke
zz 10 minutes is all the time it takes for a car to
reach deadly temperatures w/ a child locked
inside. www.safekids.org/heatstroke Pls RT
zz Remember to never leave your child alone in
a car – even for a minute! Please RT
www.safekids.org/heatstroke #heatstroke
zz San Francisco State Univ.: 52% of cases, child
was “forgotten” by the caregiver. Where’s
Baby? Look before you lock! #heatstroke
zz Did u know? In more than 29% of cases, kids
got into vehicles on their own. Where’s Baby?
Look before you lock! #heatstroke
zz Want to help us prevent #heatstroke deaths
of children in hot vehicle? Visit www.safercar.
gov/heatstroke
9822-071113-v2a
heatstroke/hypertherm a
heatstroke/hypertherm a
NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE IN A VEHICLE
NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE IN A VEHICLE
If You See a Child Unattended in a Car, Don’t
Hesitate to CALL 911 – it Is That Serious.
The ______________________________ welcomes
and supports the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration’s (NHTSA) “Where’s baby? Look
before you lock” and Safe Kids Worldwide ACT
campaigns, which educate p arents and caregivers
about the risks of leaving children unattended in
a vehicle – even for just a few moments.
WHERE’S BABY?
N E V E R L E AV E A C H I L D A L N E .
Every year, children die of heatstroke, also known
as hyperthermia, while unattended in vehicles.
The number of near - misses – children rescued
before a fatality – is significantly higher. With
concerted effort the Alliance, NHTSA and Safe
Kids Worldwide offer preventable tips on needless
child heatstroke deaths in vehicles.
Made possible by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Inc.
For More Information Visit:
For More Information Visit:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/safety/hyperthermia or
http://www.nhtsa.gov/safety/hyperthermia or
http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-guide/
kids-in-and-around-cars/never-leave-your-child-alone.html
http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-guide/
kids-in-and-around-cars/never-leave-your-child-alone.html
Why Children Are At Risk: Sun and Heat
Once a vehicle is parked, temperatures skyrocket. Why does this happen?
WHY CHILDREN ARE AT RISK
heatstroke/hypertherm a
NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE IN A VEHICLE
Their small
bodies absorb heat
more quickly.
Perspiration doesn’t
cool infants and
children as well
as adults.
They can’t change
their environment.
They can’t remove
clothing or get out
of the vehicle.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK
SOLAR
RADIATION
passes through
windows heating
the interior.
PRIOR AIR-CONDITIONING
does little to prevent tempatures from rising. In five minutes,
the car’s interior temperature r eaches that of outside air.
Safe Kids Worldwide Encourages Us to USE
These Prevention Tips and ACT:
A
LEAVING WINDOWS OPEN
doesn’t prevent the child from overheating.
Closed
windows
= AVOID
• Never leave your child alone in the car, even for
a minute.
• Consistently lock unattended vehicle doors and trunks.
140°
Windows left
1.5 inches open
Temperature
outside
FAHRENHEIT
LONGWAVE
RADIATION
is generated
from heated
objects. It is
trapped inside
the vehicle,
heating the air.
130°
120°
110°
100°
90°
MINUTES
C
T
= CREATE
REMINDERS
= TAKE
ACTION
• Create reminders and
habits that give you and your child’s caregiver a safety net.
• Establish a peace-of-mind
plan: call or text all other caregivers, so all of you know where your child is
at all times.
• Put your cellphone, laptop
or something else that
you will need at your
destination in the back seat
to make sure that you
have to look before leaving the vehicle.
•
Dial 911 immediately and follow the instructions that
emergency personnel provide – they are trained to determine if a child is
in danger.
80°
HEALTH
OUTCOME
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
THE LEVEL OF HEAT ILLNESS VARIES
•
•
•
•
Length of time trapped in vehicle
Time of day
Child health status
Car and child in direct sunlight
STAGES OF HEAT ILLNESS
Heat stress is a mild physical
discomfort and physiologic strain.
Heat exhaustion is caused by dehydration when a child’s
temperature reaches 104 degrees. It leads to intense
thirst, weakness, discomfort, anxiety, dizziness, f ainting
and headache.
Heatstroke or hyperthermia, is a life-threatening condition
where the child’s temperature rises more than 104 degrees,
causing delirium, convulsions, c oma and death.
SOURCES: Sun Sentinel
“Hyperthermia deaths of children of vehicles,” Jan Null, CCM, Department of Geoscience, San Francisco
State University, ggweather.com/heat; “Quantifying the heat-related hazard for children in motor
vehicles,” Andrew Grundstein, John Dowd, Vernon Meentemeyer, American Meteorological Society; “Heat
Stress from enclosed vehicles: Moderate Ambient temperatures cause significant temperature rise in
enclosed vehicles,” Catherine McLaren, MD, Jan Null, CCM and James Quinn, MC Pediatrics
HEAT
CONVECTION
contributes to
the rise in
temperature.