By Helen Sullivan, APR, Fellow PRSA
Anyone who follows racing-horses, cars, sprinters-knows it’s a dead heat when two or more in a race finish in a tie. Now that I’m in parking, the term has a far more disturbing connotation. I think of deadly heat-the kind that can build up in a car even on a not-so-hot day, even with the windows cracked, in just a few minutes.
Deadly heat is already here in many states and is fast approaching in others. According to Jan Null, CCN, climatologist at San Jose State University and a leading expert on this topic, 2017, sadly, is already setting records for children dying in hot parked vehicles. The fifth child to succumb to vehicle heatstroke this year was a nearly 2-year-old boy in Texas who died April 15; that’s the earliest there have been that many deaths so early in the year in 13 years.
Want to know how fast a parked car can reach deadly heat temperatures? View the video here. Parking professionals are in a unique position to educate parents and caregivers about this issue. IPI developed materials to distribute and five key messages to help:
- Never leave your child in a parked car. Never. Not even for a minute.
- Never leave your car without checking the backseat. Put your wallet or phone in back as a reminder.
- If your child is missing, check any nearby pool, car, and trunk of the car immediately.
- Arrange for your childcare provider to call if you child doesn’t arrive on time.
- Call 911 if you see a child alone in a car. Every minute counts.
Helen Sullivan, APR, Fellow PRSA, is IPI’s communications counsel.