Remember to look before you lock to prevent child heatstroke deaths

Now that schools have finished up for the summer, more motorists will be out enjoying the warmer weather. On average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. In more than half of these deaths, the caregiver forgot the child was in the car. A car can heat up 19 degrees in just 10 minutes and cracking a window doesn't help. Young children are particularly at risk, as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult's. Caregivers can help reduce the number of deaths due to heatstroke by remembering to ACT.  

Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Make sure to keep your car locked when you're not inside so kids don't get in on their own.

Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child's car seat when it's empty and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Or place your phone, briefcase or purse in the backseat when traveling with your child.

Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations.