Jul 27, 2015

Happy smiling mother placing baby in car seat and closing belt for safety.

School is over and now your children will be spending more time in the family vehicle than they were in a school bus. Whether you’re taking a day trip or just dropping a child off at the sitter, you have to be aware of how a hot car can affect our precious little ones. La Grange area Toyota has advice for keeping kids safe in cars during the summer heat.

Facts About Kids and Hot Cars

The summer heat can quickly elevate the temperature in a car to potentially deadly levels. This means that kids should never be left inside a vehicle in the summer heat, even if it is only for a few minutes. The temperatures rise so fast, that even cracking a window does nothing to protect children from very high body temperatures or hyperthermia. For example, when the temperature outside is around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the car window is down one and a half inches, the car’s interior temperature can get up to 125 in only 20 minutes and a staggering 140 degrees in only 40 minutes.

Safety Precautions to Protect Kids From Hot Cars

  • Check the temperature of the car seat surface and safety belts before buckling a child in, so that serious burns can be prevented.

  • Call 911 immediately if a child gets locked inside a car.

  • When the vehicle is parked, use a light covering to shield the seats from heat. Even cover the back windows with windshield shades.

  • Always lock you car when it is not in use so kids can not get inside and accidentally get trapped.

  • Teach kids to never play around or in a vehicle.