|
|
2025 SUMMER NEWSLETTER
Awareness is good. Action is better.
|
| |
Thank you to our incredible donors!
As summer temperatures rise, so do the dangers facing children in and around vehicles. At Kids and Car Safety, we know all too well how quickly tragedy can happen—especially during the warmer months. During summer, risks like hot car deaths, backovers, and frontovers increase significantly. This season brings more outdoor fun, travel, and busy routines, making it even more important to stay vigilant. In this issue, we’re sharing urgent reminders, life-saving tips, and critical updates to help families stay safe and informed. Together, we can prevent the unthinkable.
| | |
Mark your calendars!
Kids and Car Safety is celebrating our 30th anniversary October 5th in Kansas City and you're invited to the celebration! Please mark your calendars and keep your eyes out for an email when tickets go on in a few weeks! We hope you can join us! EVENT PAGE
| | |
A very special thank you to our incredible and very generous sponsors for helping make this event possible!
For information on becoming a sponsor, please contact Amber@kidsandcars.org.
| | |
Order Your Hot Car Safety Education Materials Today!
Every year, children lose their lives because a caregiver unknowingly leaves them in a vehicle—or they get inside on their own and can’t get out. These heartbreaking incidents are preventable. Kids and Car Safety offers life-saving educational materials designed to raise awareness and provide simple steps to keep children safe. Order your education materials today and help us protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. A few minutes of education can mean a lifetime of difference.
| | Look Before You Lock decals ORDER NOW | | |
Look Before You Lock cards (English & Spanish)
ORDER NOW
| | |
resqme emergency window breaker & seat belt cutter tool
ORDER NOW
| | |
Surviving Vehicle Submersion
Kids and Car Safety's "surviving vehicle submersion" video demonstrates what to do if your vehicle goes into water. Did you know that if you don’t get out in the first 60 seconds it may be too late? Vehicle submersions claim the lives of far too many people who could have survived if they had just known what to do. WATCH THE VIDEO (and share with others).
Please use this educational video to raise awareness in your community! LEARN MORE
| | |
Children Left In Vehicles (CLIV) United Nations Global Working Group
In April, Kids and Car Safety (KACS) participated in the Children Left In Vehicles (CLIV) United Nations global working group in Korea. The working group is focused on preventing child hot car tragedies globally. Representing our organization on this global stage was a true privilege, and it has opened doors to valuable insights and connections that will undoubtedly advance our mission saving children's lives.
| | | |
Beyond Car Seat Safety E-Learning Course
Kids and Car Safety offers a FREE e-learning course for car seat technicicans and early childhood educators. Our "Beyond Car Seat Safety" e-learning course aimed at educating professionals about litle known nontraffic vehicle dangers. The course is free, anyone can take it and it counts for a Community Education credit for techs! Check out the course HERE.
| | |
Lifesavers Conference 2025
Kids and Car Safety (KACS) has been attending the Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities for decades and this year was another successful conference helping bring awareness to nontraffic dangers to children and others.
It was such a joy to be able to meet our friends from CleverElly and Rabi Zvi Boyarsky who has been a steadfast advocate working to prevent hot car deaths and drownings through their new program called Team Protect.
| | | |
New Good Samaritan Law in Washington
Washington’s new Good Samaritan law (HB 1046), adopted in April 2025, provides civil immunity to individuals who forcibly enter a vehicle to rescue a vulnerable person or domestic animal in imminent danger. To qualify for protection, rescuers must first call 911, have a good faith belief that entry is necessary, use only the force needed, and stay nearby until first responders arrive. READ THE LAW
There are now 26 states with Good Samaritan laws. See if your state has a law HERE.
| | |
Alec's Run
A huge thank you to the Nelson Family for your generosity and support through the annual Alec's Run fundraiser. Their unwavering support over the years means the whole world to us. What an honor it is to put these gifts to work in honor of your precious angel, Alec. READ ALEC'S STORY
| | | |
Sharing the Road: Research shows bigger, taller vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians
American roads are increasingly dominated by large SUVs and trucks. As of January 2025, more than 80% of new vehicle sales were SUVs and pickup trucks.
While these supersized vehicles are often praised for providing superior crash protection for drivers and passengers, a growing body of research reveals that they are more dangerous for pedestrians. READ MORE
| |  | |
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare, and Why She Speaks Out – Dawn Peabody (Kids and Car Safety) May 07 2025 • 11 mins
Sometimes the hardest stories are the ones we need to hear most. In this episode, Dawn Peabody shares the unimaginable loss of her 2-year-old daughter, Maya, who died after being accidentally left in a hot car. Dawn opens up about how she and her husband faced the tragedy, how faith and forgiveness helped them survive, and why she now speaks out in hopes of saving lives.
Uncomfy is a BYUradio podcast hosted by journalist Julie Rose.
Listen on Apple / Spotify / YouTube
| | | |
Podcast: Hot Car Deaths: When Memory Fails
May 19, 2025 • The New Mexico Department of Transportation
Since 1998, more than 1,000 children have died in hot cars. The majority of these tragic and entirely preventable losses are rooted not in neglect, but in a failure of the brain’s memory system. In this episode, we talk with Sue Auriemma, VP of Kids and Car Safety, about how and why these tragedies occur, the science behind memory failure, and what every parent and caregiver needs to know. Sue shares her own heartbreaking story and sheds light on the tireless advocacy efforts underway to make lifesaving technology standard in all vehicles. We explore the stigma surrounding hot car deaths, the role of public awareness, and the simple steps we can all take to prevent these tragedies.
Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of child loss and may be emotionally difficult.
Don’t Throw Auto Safety In Reverse (Daniel Greene)
READ MORE
| | |
We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors for your unwavering support!
Toyota, Honda, State Farm, Ride & Remind, MODOT, Safe Ride 4 Kids, & Vayyar
Partner with us to save lives. Together we can showcase your commitment to making the world safer for children. For information on how to become a KACS sponsor, please contact Amber@kidsandcars.org.
| | | | |
