Transcript
Fire / Rescue Services Fire & Life Safety Education Tip 175 West Valley Forge Road King of Prussia, PA. 19406
William C. Daywalt Jr. Deputy Fire Marshal Office: 610-205-8554 Fax: 610-265-8467 Email:
[email protected]
Children Around Vehicles Safety Motor vehicles are dangerous places for kids, even when vehicles are not on the road. Children are injured or killed in and around vehicles each year. All are preventable. Parents and caregivers should know the risks and safety steps.
Backover Safety In 2007, about 2,000 children were injured by vehicles that backed over them and 99 children died, according to the National Safety Council. Teach children not to play in or around cars. Supervise children carefully when in and around vehicles. Prevention Tips Always walk around your vehicle and check the area around it before backing up. Be aware of small children - the smaller the child, the more likely it is you will not see them. Teach children to move away from a vehicle when a driver gets in it or if the car is started. Have children in the area stand to the side of the driveway or sidewalk so you can see them as you are backing out of a driveway or parking space. Make sure to look behind you while backing up slowly in case a child dashes behind your vehicle unexpectedly. Take extra care if you drive a large vehicle because they are likely to have bigger blind zones. Roll down your windows while backing out of your driveway or parking space so that you’ll be able to hear what is happening outside of your vehicle. Teach your children to keep their toys and bikes out of the driveway.
Because kids can move unpredictably, you should actively check your mirrors while backing up. Always put something you know you’ll need, like your purse, wallet or cell phone on the floor of the backseat near your child. Keep a large stuffed animal, like a teddy bear, in the car seat when your child is not in it. When your child is in his seat, put the bear in the front seat as a reminder of what’s in the back. Many cars are equipped with detection devices like backup cameras or warning sounds, but they cannot take the place of you actively walking around your car to make sure your children are safely out of the way. Do not rely solely on these devices to detect what’s behind your vehicle.
Hot Car Deaths On average, between 31-43 children a year dies in hot vehicles. A 2005 study found that over 90 percent of children were forgotten by relatives, most often by parents. It can and does happen to people who think they would never forget their child. Another 18 percent of children crawl into the vehicles themselves. Vehicles heat up rapidly to fatal levels. At just 70 degrees outside, a vehicle interior can reach dangerous temperatures in just minutes. Interior temperatures rise more than 40 degrees in an hour, and leaving windows open doesn’t help keep the vehicle cooler. A child’s body temperature rises 3-5 times faster than an adult's. When in hot vehicles, children are at risk of hyperthermia. Hyperthermia is commonly called heatstroke or sunstroke, and can be fatal to children and pets left in vehicles. For children who survive, it can cause permanent brain damage. A routine change is a common factor in the situations leading to these deaths. The day is unusual with additional tasks and stresses, and a child is forgotten. A parent or caregiver who doesn't usually drop off a child at daycare must do so, but forgets and drives straight to work, where the child remains in the parking lot. Most at risk are very young children sitting in car seats where they cannot be easily seen, or heard if they fall asleep. Always place something that you need in the back seat like your handbag, briefcase, or cell phone so you must go to the back seat before walking away from the vehicle.
Keep a stuffed animal in the car and when your child is in the back seat, place the animal in the front as a visual cue. Use drive-thru services when available. Encourage your day care provider to establish a call system where your provider will call caregivers if children are not dropped off as expected. Encourage employers to place reminders calling attention to easily-overlooked children in the back seat.
Power Windows Power windows are in most new cars. Younger children do not understand what automatic switches or power windows can do. Children can easily lean out the window and get caught in them if they accidentally activate the switch. Unable to reverse the window, children can be injured or fatally strangled. Prevention Tips Have children properly located in car seats so they cannot reach power window switches. Choose a car seat appropriate to your child’s weight, height and age. Do not leave children alone in vehicles, even to run a quick errand. (It is illegal in Pennsylvania to leave your child under the age of 6 alone in a motor vehicle.) Lock power windows from the driver’s seat so that children cannot get caught and injured in them.
Trunk Entrapment Children sometimes think trunks are fun places to play, but they can get trapped in trunks and be overcome by heat exhaustion before they can call for help. Help may not arrive if children in trunks cannot be heard. Prevention Tips Teach children that trunks are only used to store and move items, and are not safe places to play.
Make sure that children do not have access to keys and keep your vehicle locked at all times, even in the driveway or garage. Keep rear fold-down seats up and secured in place, to prevent kids from getting into the trunk from the passenger area. Show children how to locate and use the glow-in-the-dark emergency release found in newer vehicles. This feature does not exist in cars made before 2001, but there are inexpensive kits you can buy to retrofit your car. Check trunks first if you can’t find your child. It’s quite possible they have found the perfect hiding place.
If you want to review addition safety tips; visit Upper Merion Township’s website www.umtownship.org. Want to Volunteer? The Upper Merion Township Fire Rescue Services is seeking volunteers to join their departments to serve our community. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a volunteer member of the fire department or ambulance squad, please contact: King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company - Call 610-265-1063 Swedeland Volunteer Fire Company –Call 610-275-0177 Swedesburg Volunteer Fire Company – Call 610-279-3270 Lafayette Ambulance Squad – Call 610-992-0399
