Help Yourself Remember Kids In The Back Seat: Tips

In light of the recent hot-car death of twin babies from Rockland County forgotten by their father when he went to work, New York state officials are offering tips for parents and caregivers.

"It’s imperative to look before you lock, and remember to check the back seat before walking away from your car," said Sheila Poole, commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. "Infants and little children are especially sensitive to extreme heat and their body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult’s if they are left in a hot vehicle. "

Here are their suggestions:

• Place a stuffed toy in your child’s car seat when not in use and move the toy to the front passenger seat when your child is in his/her car seat as a reminder that your child is in the vehicle.
• Conversely, place something in the backseat that you would need, such as a purse, briefcase or cell phone.
• When driving with a child in a vehicle, use drive-through services whenever possible.
• Double-check the car to make sure that all occupants leave the vehicle or are carried out when unloading. Locking the door with an actual key, as opposed to a remote or key fob, would force the driver to take one last look in the car before leaving it.
• Always lock your car and keep keys and remotes away from children.
• Set cell-phone reminders to ensure children have been safely transported to their destination(s).
• Have a plan in place to ensure your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up.

In addition to the real and severe danger of leaving children or pets in hot cars, the caregiver could be culpable under child endangerment laws, state officials said.

Juan Rodriguez, 39, of New City, New York was charged with two counts of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the death of his twins Mariza and Phoenix Rodriguez. He said in an initial court appearance Saturday that he forgot to drop his twins off at a daycare center while he worked at the VA Medical Center.

During an average year, 39 children die of vehicular heatstroke — or one every nine days, according to Kids and Cars, a national advocacy group that is lobbying Congress to require the automobile industry to adopt new technology to help prevent vehicular heatstroke. 2018 was the deadliest year for hot car deaths, with 52 fatalities.

Heatstroke can occur when the internal body organs or body core temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Heatstroke symptoms may include: confusion, combativeness, faintness, and bizarre behavior. High body temperature can cause irreversible brain damage.

A body temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit is considered deadly. On a clear 85 degree Fahrenheit day, the temperature of an enclosed motor vehicle can rise to 104 degrees Fahrenheit in minutes, 119 degrees in half an hour, and 128 degrees in one hour.

In many cases, a parent completely loses awareness that the child is in the car, according to David Diamond, professor of psychology, molecular pharmacology and physiology at the University of South Florida who has studied the hot car deaths phenomenon for 15 years.

His research shows parents can forget their kids are in the car as a result of competition among the brain's memory systems — the "habit memory" system that allows people to perform routine tasks without thinking about them, and the "prospective memory" system used to plan. The habit memory system typically prevails, and the problem is particularly acute among parents experiencing sleep deprivation or stress, according to Diamond.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services and the Department of Health urge parents, guardians and other caregivers to also teach children not to play in or around vehicles and to alert an adult when a friend is playing in a vehicle without supervision. Make sure children understand the dangers of trunk entrapment (suffocation, heatstroke, etc).

If you see a child in a hot car, call 911 right away and follow instructions. Emergency personnel are trained to respond, state officials said.

SEE ALSO:

• Hot Car Deaths: How Many Kids Have Died In New York
• Friends Fundraising For Family Of Dad Who Forgot Twins In Hot Car

Patch Editor Beth Dalbey contributed to this report.