UDOH Urges Summer Safety with Kids and Cars

Jul 03, 2008 by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) With the recent death of a five-month-old Clearfield infant whose mother left him in a sweltering vehicle, the Utah Department of Health is urging people to take measures to keep their kids safe around cars this summer.

"Even on cool days, like a 78 degree day, the temperature in a car can quickly escalate to over 100 degrees in as little as 10 minutes," says Violence and Injury Prevention Program Coordinator Jenny Johnson of the Utah Department of Health. "For a child, even a few minutes in a car that hot can be deadly."

A child's core body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult's, and a body temperature of 107 degrees is lethal, according to information from the health department.

People are also reminded to keep an eye on young children who may be playing outside around vehicles. Between 1997 and 2006, 41 Utah children under the age of ten have died after getting hit by a car in a driveway.

"Most of them are killed by a family member. These tragedies can be prevented if someone had just taken a few seconds to get out of the car, walk completely around it, and look to make sure a child wasn't in the path," says Johnson. "Have someone else stand by the vehicle to watch the children to make sure they're not in the path of a vehicle coming out of a driveway."

Johnson also urges people to never leave a child alone in a car, even with the windows down; and to always lock car doors and trunks, even when the car is parked at home. More information about keeping kids safe is available from the Utah Department of Health.

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