Preventing Tragedy Of The United States - 1454 Words

Preventing Tragedy Since October 2014, 28 children in the United States have died in hot vehicles. In the past decade these deaths have been on the rise. According to the national nonprofit safety group KIDS ‘N CARS, 622 children have died from being trapped in sweltering hot vehicles since 1990.(Kid’s ‘n Cars) The tragic death of Cooper Harris, the 22-month-old Georgia boy left to die in a hot SUV has recently gained public attention to this matter. This story has gained massive media awareness spotlighting the problem and unresolved issue of accidental deaths of children from heatstroke in cars. The point at issue is there is no legislative law requiring automobile manufacturers to necessitate heatstroke prevention technology in†¦show more content†¦The brain becomes overwhelmed and cannot regulate body temperatures producing symptoms such as confusion, dizziness, disorientation, seizure, loss of consciousness, and even death. A child’s body is at higher risk than adults for heat-related illness. According to Nemours Children’s Health System, when the outside temperature is 93 degrees, the temperature inside the car can reach 125 degre es in just 20 minutes.**(Nemours) A child’s body temperature can intensify up to five times faster than an adult because of their size and inability to cool through perspiration as developed adults. Parents leave children in cars for lack of understanding about how sick they can get and how quickly they can get sick, says Christopher Haines, director of pediatric emergency medicine at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.** The recent tragedies have led to a terrible but needed awareness. This dilemma is not about bad parenting. It can happen to any social class. While it is clear that it effects a large number of people, it has a direct impact on parents of all ages and ethnicities. â€Å"The first mistake any parents can make is to think it can’t happen to them,† Deona Bien states. Bien’s daughter Aslyn Bien was left in a car by her caregiver. Like 80 percent of the cases children die in hot cars, Aslyn wasn’t left there on pur pose. Her car seat was directly behind the driver’s seat of her babysitter’s car. This tragedy happened because of simple change of