Video: Why You Should Never Leave a Child in a Vehicle

Photo by Dan Hadar on Unsplash

With summer’s arrival, a recent Global News video presents an interview with members of Child Safety Link to talk about why they say it is never safe to leave your child alone in the car…not even “for a minute”.

Child Safety Link draw on research to confirm: “It is never safe to leave a child alone in the car – not for a minute. Not in any season, or for any reason.”

A child can be injured:

·      By getting out of the vehicle

·      Trapping themselves by rolling up a window

·      Opening a window and falling out of the vehicle

·      Getting into medical distress without anyone to help them. “Even on a cloudy day, the inside of a car can heat up to more than 40 degrees, when it’s 20 degrees outside.” A child’s smaller body is much more vulnerable to heatstroke than is the body of an adult.

They point out that it has happened that even the most conscientious caregiver, tired and distracted by the task they need to perform, has forgotten that they have their child with them in the car. The best way to prevent this is by having regular routines and visual clues, like a diaper bag on the front seat to remind you that your child is also in the car. A valuable routine is to make a habit of always opening the back door of the car, as well as the driver’s door, every time you get out of the car, whether your children are with you or not, so that it becomes an auto-pilot ritual.

For school-aged children, they recommend that parents participate in your school’s “safe-arrival” notification system/encourage your school to establish this program.

They also address the risk is of children accessing your vehicle, or those of guests or neighbours, on their own when playing at home, without their parent’s/caregiver’s knowledge. Child Safety Link advise parents to always make sure your parked car is locked, and request the same of guests and neighbours. They advise starting young with your children, teaching them that cars are not places to play. Finally, the advise keeping your keys and fob high out of reach of children, where they cannot access them on their own.

If a child goes missing, one of the first places to look is in parked cars, including the trunk.

Child Safety Link (CSL) provide a wide range of child safety information and updates on their website including age-specific Safety at a Glance and CSL Home Safety/Play Safety/Car Seat Info Checklists and FAQs for Newborns/Babies/Toddlers/Younger Children, as well as for school-aged children and youth.