Don’t Leave Your Child In The Backseat Of An Unattended Car

The summer weather is heating up and your car can get very hot, very quickly.  It is a crime to leave your child, under the age of 12, unattended in your vehicle, even for a short period of time.  If you are found to have done this you may be charged with a crime under Connecticut statute.

It may not seem like a big deal to stop at the convenience store and leave your child unattended in your car for a few minutes, but think about the following statistics and how dangerous just this quick trip to the store could be;

1. A car parked in the sun on a day where the temperature is 95 degrees can reach 116 degrees within a matter of an hour.
2. The dashboard in that same car can reach a scorching 157 degrees in the same amount of time.
3. The seats inside that same car can reach nearly 125 degrees.
4. A child left in a parked car will experience heatstroke within an hour of being in the car, or sooner.

The bottom line here is that it is increasingly dangerous to leave a child unattended in the car during hot summer months.  It is also against the law in Connecticut.

Many cars are now coming equipped with notifications that will beep at the driver to make sure they are checking that there is no one left in the backseat of the car before they get out.  This is a necessary safety feature that can help save lives.  Each year in the United States 37 children die after being left alone in the backseat of a car in the scorching heat.  This is dangerous and these are deaths that can be avoided.

Whenever you’re leaving your car, please remember to check the backseat.

Have a safe and COOL rest of the summer.