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Press ReleaseKids in Cars: An Update on Safe Kids Buckle Up’s Hyperthermia InitiativeJune 8, 2010 Safe Kids USA coalitions are aggressively tackling the problem of young children affected by hyperthermia, or heat stroke, when they are unattended in vehicles on sunny days as part of the Safe Kids Buckle Up program. Each year, approximately 37 children die from hyperthermia and there have already been nine fatalities thus far in 2010. In February of this year, Safe Kids Buckle Up convened a national webinar meeting to bring more than 30 new injury prevention partners to collectively help address this very preventable problem. Safe Kids Buckle Up has encouraged those new partners to record their activities and submit them for evaluation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a partner in this effort. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood highlighted the problem of hyperthermia and children in his blog post yesterday: Summer's Heat Requires Extra Car Safety Vigilance. On the same day, NHTSA issued a Consumer Advisory: Parents and Caregivers Reminded Never to Leave Children in Cars. The Secretary reminded motorists to never leave young children alone in vehicles - even for a minute. Citing statistics from NHTSA’s Not in Traffic Surveillance (NiTS), which is a virtual data collection system, he reiterated that hot weather and children alone in cars is a deadly mix and results in the leading cause of non-traffic deaths to children. Safe Kids Buckle Up supports NHTSA’s elevating the issue to a higher level as summer heats up and as we continue to provide information, support and materials to our coalitions and new partners. June 8, 2010
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