As part of a collaborative effort to raise awareness about preventing hot car tragedies in advance of National Heatstroke Prevention Day (May 1, 2022), representatives from Safe Kids Worldwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) joined local health professionals, first responders and safety advocates today at the Orange County Sheriff's Department to share proven strategies to prevent child deaths and injuries in hot vehicles.
ORLANDO, Fla., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As part of a collaborative effort to raise awareness about preventing hot car tragedies in advance of National Heatstroke Prevention Day (May 1, 2022), representatives from Safe Kids Worldwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) joined local health professionals, first responders and safety advocates today at the Orange County Sheriff's Department to share proven strategies to prevent child deaths and injuries in hot vehicles.
- Stream the press conference here: https://youtu.be/hP310wJ69BU
- Prevention information and tools can be found at https://www.safekids.org/heatstroke
The event also featured Makia Wallace, who lost her 21-month-old son, Jace, after he was left in a hot car by his caregiver. Wallace started the Love Like Jace Foundation (https://www.lovelikejace.org) in April 2021 to advance child safety. Since 1998, more than 900 children have died from heatstroke while unattended in vehicles.
"I know my son is safe in heaven cheering me on saying, 'Keep going mommy, fight for every kid that looks like me. Be the voice for those who can't speak up,'" said Wallace. "Safety is everyone's responsibility, so let's make our future leaders our number one priority."
"Our greatest wish is that heatstroke won't claim the life of another child," said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. "As temperatures rise and schedules change, there's a real danger that we may see more tragedies this year, so we're calling on everyone to be part of the solution. Whether you are a parent or caregiver, a neighbor, or a concerned bystander, you can help save lives."
"Until all vehicles come with sensor and notification technologies to alert caregivers when their children may be in danger, children can still be lost to these preventable tragedies," said Joseph Colella, director of child passenger safety for JPMA. "Supplemental technologies, increased awareness and education, and behavioral changes are crucial for the foreseeable future."
Research shows that the temperature inside a car can heat up 19 degrees in just 10 minutes and up to 55 degrees in a few hours. Heatstroke occurs when the body is unable to cool itself quickly enough. Young children are particularly at risk, since a child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult's. When a child's internal temperature reaches 104 degrees, major organs begin to shut down, and when the temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child can die.
Parents, caregivers and bystanders are encouraged to help reduce the number of heatstroke deaths by remembering to ACT:
- A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked with keys out of reach when you're not inside so kids don't get in on their own.
- C: Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child's car seat when it is empty, and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Or place and secure your phone, briefcase or purse in the back seat when traveling with your child. Arrange for your childcare provider to contact you right away if your child hasn't arrived as scheduled.
- T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911 immediately. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.
Safe Kids Worldwide and JPMA are part of a NHTSA-led group of advocates, including KidsAndCars.org, noheatstroke.org and National Safety Council, all committed to preventing kids from dying in hot cars by using every tool necessary, including awareness, education, technology and advocacy.
For more information on preventing child heatstroke deaths, please visit https://www.safekids.org/heatstroke or https://www.kidsandcars.org.
About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to protect kids from preventable injuries, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. In addition, with the support of General Motors, Safe Kids and its network work to educate parents and caregivers through its heatstroke awareness campaign, Never Leave Your Child Alone In a Car. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by nearly 60 percent. Join our effort at https://www.safekids.org.
About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is the voice of the industry on quality and safety for baby and children's products in North America. We work to advance the interests of manufacturers, parents, children and the industry at large by advocating for safety through product certification programs and legislative and regulatory involvement. We support our broad and diverse membership through member-only programming and industry promotion, and we act as a comprehensive source for baby product information and education. Established in 1962, this year JPMA marks its 60th year of helping protect future generations by advancing the availability and safety of products used to care for babies and young children.
Media Contact
Jaime Levins, JPMA, 706-372-9505, [email protected]
Gary Karton, Safe Kids Worldwide, 202-604-5353, [email protected]
SOURCE JPMA
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