Every year, there are reports about children and pets who have died or been seriously injured because they were left in hot vehicles. The National Safety Council reported that 42 children died in 2017 as a result of being left in hot cars.The dangers of hot vehicles can exist even on mild days. Testing by Consumer Reports showed that when the outside temperature is only 61 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside a closed car can reach 105 degrees in just one hour. That temperature is a dangerous and potentially fatal level for a child or animal. Studies have shown that cracking a window or parking in the shade does not help.In Colorado, House Bill 17-1179, signed into law April 13, 2017, took effect Aug. 9, 2017, and provides immunity for a person who uses reasonable force to rescue an ìat-riskî person (child, or elderly or disabled person) or a dog or cat from a locked vehicle, but only within certain parameters. The person must heed the following:
- Believe that the person or animal in the vehicle is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death
- Make sure the vehicle is actually locked
- Attempt to locate the vehicle owner
- Call authorities before making entry into the vehicle
- Await arrival of law enforcement personnel afterward
- Never leave children or pets alone in a vehicle, even for a short time.
- Leave pets at home on warm or hot days.
- ìLook before you lock.î Make it a habit to check the vehicle before locking it.
- Keep parked vehicles locked so that children cannot gain access, and store keys out of reach. Nearly three in 10 heatstroke deaths happen when an unattended child gains access to a vehicle.
- Create reminders:
- Put something in the back seat next to the child, such as a briefcase, purse or cell phone.
- Set a calendar reminder on a cell phone to make sure the child was dropped off at day care, and have providers text or call if the child is a no-show.
- Call 911 if you see a child alone in a car.
- Be alert for signs of heat stress in a pet (heavy panting, glazed eyes, rapid pulse, unsteady gait, vomiting or a deep red or purple tongue); immediately take action to gradually cool the animal; and then take it to a veterinarian.
