Automobile Alliance Reminds Parents of Hot Car Dangers With Decals

As part of its work with the Safe Kids initiative and just in time for National Heat Stroke Prevention Day, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is distributing car decals designed to alert both parents and the public to the risks of leaving an unattended child in a hot vehicle.

It may seem obvious that you shouldn’t leave a child inside a locked car on a summer day, but sometimes people need a reminder.

Fortunately, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is on the case.

On Monday, AAM launched an initiative  (opens in a new tab) to raise awareness of the issue, complete with car decals it plans to distribute in public places throughout the Washington, DC, region.

The “Never Leave a Child Alone in a Car” decals, in both English and Spanish, encourage people to call 911 if they see an unattended child in a vehicle.

The effort, part of AAM’s work with the Safe Kids initiative, comes amid a rash of news reports of such incidents—including one involving a Georgia boy who died in June. The boy’s father, Justin Ross Harris, has been jailed on murder charges  (opens in a new tab).

The death of 22-month-old Cooper Harris is one of 18 such fatalities so far this year, according to the Associated Press.

#HeatStrokeKills

The decals aren’t the only way Safe Kids is drawing attention to the issue this week.

On Thursday, the group, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Administration for Children and Families, will take part in National Heat Stroke Prevention Day  (opens in a new tab) [PDF], an effort to draw attention to the dangers of leaving children exposed to heat for long periods. The initiative will be pushing two hashtags, #HeatStrokeKills and #CheckForBaby, throughout the day Thursday.

KidsAndCars.org, another group participating in the event  (opens in a new tab), notes that a parked car can reach 125 degrees in just minutes in the summer. And even if such accidents seem unfathomable, leaving a child in a hot car is a mistake anyone can make.

“These memory errors are committed by normal, attentive, and loving parents. Many of these parents had believed that they could never forget their children, until their children died,” David Diamond, Ph.D., a University of South Florida neuroscientist who works with the nonprofit, said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “Scientific studies confirm that you can’t assume your memory will never fail, and the consequences of a memory failure can be tragic.”

(Photodisc/Thinkstock)