Everyone knows it gets hot in Texas and most people are aware that you shouldn’t leave your kids in hot cars. Despite that, Texas leads the nation in child hot car deaths.
"So far this year, we've responded to three cases where a kid has been left in a hot car," said Matt Zavadksy, Chief Transformation Officer with MedStar Ambulance Service. "The reality is, we all get distracted."
When temperatures get hot like they are this weekend, Zavadsky says parents should go out of their way to prevent leaving a kid in the backseat. First responders recommend simple tricks, like keeping a stuffed animal in your kid’s car seat. When a child is riding in the car seat, the stuffed animal sits up front.
"When you arrive at wherever you're going, you'll wonder, 'Why is that teddy bear ... in the front seat? And you're going to remember, 'Oh! That's because my kid is in the car seat.'"
Zavadsky says similar tricks involve putting your cell phone, wallet or purse in the backseat. This doesn't mean you value those items more than your child. But they are a part of your routine, and if having your child in the backseat isn't a part of your routine, it can be easy to get busy and forget they're there. You can also download apps to help you remember, like WAZE and the BACKSEAT APP.
Zavadsky said one of the things first responders always hear from parents who leave their kids in hot cars is: “I never thought this would happen to me.”
Even if you think you'd never forget, Zavadksy said, why risk it?
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