Why you should Never Leave your Child Alone in a Hot Car

You’re driving home and your child falls asleep in the backseat of your car, when you arrive home you may be tempted to simply leave them there until they wake up, but this is extremely dangerous!

Whether you crack the window open while you quickly go inside your house or run into the grocery store for a few minutes, leaving your child inside a car is never a good idea – no matter the circumstances.

Every year, children die from heatstroke after being left inside a car, on purpose and sometimes by accident…

One of the greatest dangers of leaving your child inside a car is heat stroke. It can damage your child’s brain, their organs and even cause death. You may not realise this, but it doesn’t take long for a small child’s body temperature to increase to a dangerous level.

  n  When the sun is simply shining in the sky, even when it doesn’t feel very hot outside, the temperature inside a car can almost double in just an hour. Leaving the windows open a little won’t stop the temperature inside from reaching a deadly level.

  n  Did you know that a small child’s temperature heats up a lot faster than an adults? This is because a child’s body takes a while to develop the ability to cool down well. Keep this in mind when you feel hot, your child could possibly be overheating.

  n  Even though normally children under the age of three die from heatstroke inside a car, don’t think an older child won’t be affected!

Heatstroke is not the only risk you should be worried about when your child is left alone in a car. Fiddling with the car and setting it in motion, getting trapped inside the boot, injuring themselves and even being kidnapped are all dangers too.

What should you do if you see a child left alone inside a vehicle? Find out in our next blog...

PatrolMan is a neighbourhood watch app that allows member to take back control of crime in their community. Download the app now and make use of all the amazing features, including the emergency SOS button!