For Immediate Release:
August 19, 2019
Contact:
Tara LaMonte, 816-309-3109, tara@KidsAndCars.org
Sue Auriemma, 516-721-2664, susan@KidsAndCars.org
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10 Child Hot Car Deaths in 20 Days
After 20 years of educating the public about hot cars, the number of children dying continues to rise
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August 19, 2019 - The last few weeks have been riddled with tragic, yet preventable hot car tragedies with 10 children dying in a matter of 20 days. After decades of public education, the number of
children dying in hot cars
has gotten worse, not better.
Already this year,
35
children have died in hot cars. Last year was the worst year in history with a total of
53
children that died in hot cars nationwide. Additionally, KidsAndCars.org documented 62 pets that died in hot cars nationwide.
Education and public awareness are not enough.
Children will continue to die in hot cars until technological solutions that can sense the presence of a child are standard in all vehicles. The great news is that these type of systems are readily available.
The Hot Cars Act
is a federal bill calling for systems that can detect the presence of a child in vehicles to prevent hot car injury and death. Automakers like
Kia
and
Hyundai
have systems that can detect the presence of a child in the back seat and alert the driver and bystanders if they are left behind or get into a vehicle and become trapped.
“Why are we allowing children to die in hot cars when effective and readily available technology exists to protect them? These children cannot help themselves, but technology can,” said Amber Rollins, director of KidsAndCars.org.
Technology must be standard in all vehicles because nobody believes a hot car tragedy is going to happen to them or their family, until it does.
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KidsAndCars.org
is a national nonprofit
dedicated to saving the lives of young children and pets in and around vehicles. The organization is devoted to eliminating vehicle-related risks that were previously unrecognized through data collection, research and analysis, public education and awareness programs, policy change, product redesign and supporting families to channel their grief into positive change. These everyday incidents include being run over, hot car deaths, carbon monoxide poisoning, car theft with children/animals inside, falls, knocking cars into gear, drowning inside vehicle, underage drivers, power window strangulation, trunk entrapment, etc.
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