U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation would launch a $3 million public safety campaign to reduce the number of child vehicular heatstroke deaths in America.
Nationally, six children have died in hot cars this year so far, including an 11-month old girl in Fairfax, Va., whose father left her in the car, thinking he had dropped her off at daycare. On average, nearly 40 kids die each year after being left in a car during hot weather. In 2019, 53 children died from vehicular heatstroke.
“As we enter the hot summer months, the Department is launching a $3 million information campaign to remind drivers to never leave children unattended in cars and to lock their cars to prevent neighborhood children from entering the heated car,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Chao.
The campaign “Park. Look. Lock.” will remind parents to look into their car after they park it to ensure children aren’t in the car, and to lock it to prevent children from climbing into the car unattended.
The campaign will run radio ads across the country, as well as digital ad campaigns in the 18 states with the highest number of child vehicular fatalities – Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
The announcement was made during a press conference on Heatstroke Awareness Day and featured a stakeholder roundtable attended by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS); John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation; Torine Creppy, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator James Owens.
“The danger right now is twofold. Parents may be tempted to leave their children in the vehicle while they run errands, thinking the car is safer than in a store. It’s more important than ever to remember that a hot car is no place for a child,” Owens said.
To prevent child vehicular heatstroke deaths, the USDOT recommended:
• Keep vehicles locked at all times when parked
• Teach kids not to play in cars
• Do not assume that rolling down windows a little or parking in shade will keep a car cool
• And if, as a bystander, you see a child alone in a hot car, call 911 immediately.