Child Advocacy Group Brings Kid Car, Window Hazards to Public Attention

Warm weather brings new safety risks to children - in particular, the risks of getting locked in a hot car and falling out of an open window.

Those risks are being highlighted this summer in Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, but they can certainly be applied across the nation as families change their habits with the arrival of hot weather. Children left alone in parked cars, with temperatures that can rise rapidly even on mild days, can result in heat exhaustion, dehydration and possibly death. And windows left open and unsecured can result in falls that kill or severely injure young children.

The campaign involving cars seeks to remind parents never to leave children alone in a hot car, even for a minute. If a child is sleeping, either wait a few minutes until he or she is awake or just wake them up. The society says there's nothing more scary than a sleeping child who wakes up from a nap alone. Another suggestion is that parents bring plenty of juice boxes on car trips to prevent dehydration in hot weather.

"We're asking parents and care givers to be smart and protect our kids," says society marketing director Robin Jones. "Even with windows down, the temperature in a parked car can soar to 110 degrees in minutes."

For its safe windows campaign, the society recommends that furniture be moved away from open windows so that kids aren't tempted to climb up on it. It also recommends placing child safety locks on windows and making sure all screens are safe and secure.