Did you know that on a typical Australian summer day, the temperature inside a parked car can be as much as 20° to 30° higher than the outside temperature?
Leaving children unattended in the car, even briefly, can be fatal. Each year, approximately 5,000 Australian children are rescued from parked cars. Three-quarters of those children are under four years old. Even on a cool day, your car can reach high temperatures when your child is left unattended.
Here are some of the things you can do to reduce the risks of this happening:
- Plan to complete quick jobs when you don’t have children with you.
- Seek service stations offering pay at the pump.
- Ensure that cars are locked and that keys are out of reach of children to prevent them from gaining access to the car.
- Always check the car before you leave it.
- Leave a high-valued item in the back seat so you get in the habit of going to the back.
Kidsafe WA is seeking your help to spread awareness of reducing the number of children left in unattended cars in Western Australia.
To aid in this campaign, Kidsafe WA has designed ‘Do Not Leave Children in Cars’ signs that organisations can purchase to install in car parks to remind community members to take their children with them after they park their cars.
Unfortunately, many children are accidentally left in the car, so make sure you look before you leave.
Check out our ‘Do Not Leave Children in Cars’ campaign for more information.
