Every year, I read dozens of sad stories about babies left in cars.
INFANTS or young children left inside a vehicle can die of hyperthermia in a few hours, even when the temperature outside is not especially hot. It is a tragedy that kills about 30 children a year, according to the National Safety Council.
[From How to Remind a Parent of the Baby in the Car? – NYTimes.com]
It’s such a horrible tragedy that I always thought there were more deaths than 30 per year. What is even more tragic, is that often the responsible mom or dad is prosecuted, as if losing a child out of sheer forgetfulness (lack of sleep anyone?) isn’t more than enough of a penalty.
Happily, a group called Kids and Cars is proposing a regulation to mandate a warning when you leave a child behind in the car. Even 30 kids a year is too many for a problem that is easily solved through new technology.