Leaving children in vehicles unattended can be deadly

As temperatures begin to increase, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR,) Division of Public Health, and the Safe Kids of Georgia community partners urge parents not to leave children unsupervised in vehicles for any length of time. It is important to remember that temperatures in your vehicle could spike to 160 degrees Fahrenheit on a hot and humid day within a matter of minutes - even with the windows partly open.

Children left in vehicles under extreme heat conditions are especially vulnerable. Heat stroke, a life-threatening emergency, can occur in temperatures as low as 80 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on humidity levels. Body temperatures higher than 105 degrees Fahrenheit can cause permanent brain damage or even death, especially among children.

According to the Center for the Study and Prevention of Injury, Violence and Suicide, during the period 1995-2005 there were 414 heat-related deaths of children in the U.S. - 16 of them in Georgia. Of the 16 Georgia child fatality cases, two were children who climbed in the trunk of a vehicle; 14 were in the passenger compartment.

More than half of unattended child deaths occurred when adults forgot or were unaware of the child, according to a study published in a 2005 Injury Prevention.