Busy families with busy schedules have become the hallmark of the modern family. Minor children’s schedules are often just as full as their parents’. Tutoring, practices and events often leave parents relying on others to transport their children. Personal injuries and liability can occur when our children are not under their parents’ direct supervision.
Modern kids spend a lot of time in vehicles commuting to extra-curricular activities. Vehicles are like a second home on wheels. Just like our homes should be child-proofed for safety, cars pose certain dangers that parents need to be aware of.
Ways that kids can be harmed in cars
The U.S. Department of Transportation has warned parents for years about the dangers that cars present to kids. Here are a few hazards to be aware of:
- Heatstroke: This phenomenon occurs when a child’s body temperature is approximately 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Heatstroke is when the body’s ability to regulate its temperature is overwhelmed by the heat. At 107 degrees, the temperature can become deadly. Heatstroke can set in and have tragic consequences if a parent forgets their child in the backseat. Additionally, kids that find cars unlocked can become trapped inside.
- Power windows: Kids are often tempted with so many cool-looking buttons to push in cars. The motors that power windows are surprisingly powerful and can result in children’s fingers, limbs or heads becoming stuck in them.
- Trunks: The trunk of the car is a mysterious place that some kids may want to investigate. Being entrapped in the trunk is a deadly game that can have tragic consequences.
- Seat belts: Seat belts seem harmless enough, but they are sources of strangulation when kids become entangled. This sometimes happens when kids are not properly restrained in the seatbelt, to begin with. However, curious kids can disengage their seatbelts and become entangled.
How a car can be harmful is only limited by the child’s imagination and the negligence of adults. The above basic safety tips are intended to familiarize you with some of the most common ways that kids can be injured or killed with a vehicle.
If you haven’t yet considered the possibility of legal action if your child has been injured in another person’s vehicle, now might be the time.
