The Dangers of Leaving Kids in Cars

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 6, 2001 — -- It happens more than you might think: Parents leave children alone in a closed car, then stay away too long, and come back to find their children dead.

More than 50 children have died that way this year alone. In the most recent case, a 3-year-old boy in Jasper, Mo., died of hyperthermia Sunday after his parents left him in the car for an hour while they attended church.

In San Jose, Calif., a 5-month-old boy died when his father, a 24-year-old security guard, left him in 86-degree weather for three hours while he watched cartoons. In Desert Hot Springs, Calif., an 18-month-old was left in the car when it was 110 degrees.

The temperature in a car can climb higher than 100 degree in minutes, and children dehydrate much faster than adults.

Some parents leave children in cars to save time while doing errands. Some actually forget a sleeping child. Some go to work all day leaving the child in the car because they do not have a baby sitter.

An organization called Kids 'n' Cars is campaigning to make the public aware of the danger.

"We want the children to be taken from the vehicle every time the parents exit the vehicle," says Janette Fennell, the group's executive director.

Law enforcement treats the issue seriously. In June, an infant and a young boy were saved from possible death inside a locked van.

The mother was charged with two counts of child endangerment. When children die, parents can be charged with anything up to murder.

"You are endangering your child if you leave your child unattended locked in a vehicle in a parking lot, really no matter what the weather," says Pamela Booth, an assistant district attorney in Los Angeles County.

It would seem to be common sense, but not all parents have it.