On hot summer days, keep your kids safeAs you head out for summer activities, double-check your car's back seat.
Parked cars can quickly become ovens in the summer heat, posing a major health threat to children who are forgotten or play in unattended vehicles. Pets also are vulnerable as drivers overestimate their ability to multitask.
Last year, 49 U.S. children died of vehicular heatstroke, and 16 have succumbed so far this year, according to KidsAndCars.org, a nonprofit child-safety group in Kansas. More than 500 children have died in hot cars since 2008.
To protect your child from car-related heatstroke:
• Put something in the back seat that you will need when you arrive at your destination -- a cellphone, purse or briefcase. Its placement should force you to see your child.
• Keep a teddy bear or toy in the front passenger seat any time a child is riding in the back to remind yourself.
• Have your day-care provider agree to call you at all your phone numbers if your child doesn't show up for day care. Better yet, call the provider and confirm that your child has made it if you have a change in your routine.
• Keep your car locked with the windows up even in the driveway and garage to keep kids from climbing in unattended. Keep keys and key fobs out of reach.
