Friday, June 29, 2012
By John D. Doak, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner
Anyone who lives in Oklahoma knows the summer temperatures can be dangerous and even deadly, especially for children.
Already this year, seven children in the U.S. have died after being left in hot cars. Last year, we had two such tragedies in Oklahoma.
Since 2008, it has been illegal in Oklahoma to leave a child unattended in a motor vehicle, yet it still continues to happen.
Many deaths happen because people don’t know how quickly a car can heat up, even if a window is down. In hot weather, the temperature inside a car can rise by seven degrees in five minutes. In fact, the temperature in a closed car can reach 110 degrees even when it’s 60 degrees outside. Also, a child’s body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult’s body temperature.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health offers the following safety tips:
Insurance helps pay for treatment when a family member is hurt or sick, but the biggest key to fully protecting your family is eliminating risk whenever possible, not just insuring against it. Child deaths inside overheated vehicles are absolutely preventable and Oklahomans must take every step to eliminate the risk.