An unattended child in a car can end up in a serious situation. Apart from the strict traffic regulations imposed by the UAE government, it is a punishable offence to leave a child unattended in a car.
Especially the hot summers of the UAE can cause a child’s body temperature to multiply by three to five times if left alone in a car, with the engine switched off. This can result in child car heat stroke leading to dire consequences. This guide will help you prevent child car heat stroke by practising some useful tips around children in the car.
What Causes Child Hot Car Deaths?
Parents or caretakers might run for a quick errand leaving a kid alone in the car. Or even if the car is not locked, an unattended child might tamper with the car controls and end up being locked. The rising temperature of the car cabin can then cause child heat stroke.
A car’s cabin temperature can rise to 110 degrees in no time if the outside temperature is also high. In such a case, the risk of child car heat stroke is not reduced by cracking open the car’s windows.
One of the dangers of leaving a child alone in the car is heat stroke. Leaving your child in a hot car can increase their body temperature five times faster than that of an adult. A child’s heat stroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees. As the temperature rises, the symptoms get severe.
Heat Stroke Symptoms in Kids
The following are some common symptoms of heat stroke in children:
- Hot, dry skin
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Headaches
- Laborious breathing
- High pulse rate
- Nausea
- Vomiting
UAE Fines for Leaving a Child Unattended in a Car
The UAE government enforces children’s road safety regulations when it comes down to them being around or inside a car. Parents or caretakers leaving a child unattended in a car can face a hefty fine and imprisonment.
As the mercury soars during the summer season in the UAE, Abu Dhabi Police runs an awareness campaign, ‘Summer Safe’. A part of this campaign aims at reminding the parents and caretakers that leaving your child in a hot car or unattended is a crime punishable by law.
Federal Law no. 3 of 2016 on Child Rights in the UAE, aka Wadeema’s Law, penalises a child’s negligence. The law imposes a fine finalised by the judge and a prison term on the offender endangering a child’s life.
Tips to Prevent Child Car Heat Stroke
Practising these tips can help you enhance child car safety and prevent heat stroke.
- Always check the car’s back seat for car occupants before locking it.
- To remind yourself of a child in the back seat, keep a stuffed animal or any memento in the back when it is empty. But when driving with a child, keep that memento in the front, as a visual reminder of your child in the rear seat.
- Put your handbag or other gear in the back seat to check the rear seat, when arriving at the destination.
- Always make sure that your child has reached the location safely if anyone else is driving your child.
- Have your child care provider call you if your child gets late more than 10 minutes.
- Keep the car’s air conditioner switched on when travelling with kids, especially in hot weather. In direct sunlight, the cabin temperature can increase by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes if the air conditioner is switched off. A child experiences heat stroke when the core body temperature rises to 104 degrees.
- Keep in mind that there is no safe time to leave a child alone in a car for running quick errands.
- Keep your car locked in a parking lot to prevent any curious child from entering it.
- Keep your car keys away from the reach of children.
- Teach children about the dangers of a car.
It is advised never to leave a child unattended in a car. In case you notice kids left in hot cars or unattended, immediately call the UAE police at 999 and get the child out. Once the child is recovered, spray them with cool water to bring down the body temperature.
Car Safety Features Preventing Child Car Heat Stroke
Automakers are striving to come up with modern car safety features to alert drivers of rear-seated occupants. Such features can help reduce child car heat stroke.
Rear Occupant Alert
This feature reminds the driver to check the back seat before locking the car. The rear occupant alert feature uses door logic to detect the presence of car occupants in the rear seat. That is, if the rear door opens and then closes before the car starts, a dashboard alert gets activated. This alert is triggered if the vehicle is powered off and the driver begins to exit.
A more sophisticated feature known as Ultrasonic Rear Occupant Alert uses ultrasonic sensors to detect rear passenger presence. So if the vehicle is locked and the sensor detects movement in the car’s rear seats, it alerts the driver with visual and audible warnings. This feature is offered by Hyundai’s SmartSense driver assistance suite.
The rear seat occupant alert feature is offered by almost all car brands including the most popular ones such as Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, GMC, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Kia, Ford etc.
This is a wrap-up on our guide about child car heat stroke. Make sure you follow these tips to prevent your child from any hazardous situation. In case you are looking for a family car in the UAE, then check out these used cars for sale in the UAE at affordable rates. You can also check out these used family-friendly SUVs for sale:
- Second-hand Nissan Patrol for sale in the UAE
- Used Mitsubishi Pajero for sale in the UAE
- Pre-owned Ford Explorer for sale in the UAE
- Used Toyota Land Cruiser for sale in the UAE
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blog for more informative tips about car safety.
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