WHILE children continue to die in Australia from being left in hot cars, the ACT Children and Young People Death Review Committee and Kidsafe ACT is warning Canberrans about the fatal dangers of leaving children in cars. 

“Never leave your child alone in the car, even for a minute,” says Margaret Carmody, chair of the ACT Children and Young people Death Review Committee.

“Parked cars get hot very quickly and even on the more overcast days, the temperature can rise to dangerous and even fatal levels very quickly.”

Kidsafe ACT CEO Jes Chalmers says the temperature inside a parked car, on a hot day, can be as much as 40C hotter than it is outside.

“On a cool day, the temperature can be over 20C hotter. Most of this temperature rise can happen within the first five minutes,” she says. 

Most parents believe forgetting their child in a car is something that will never happen to them until it does, say ACT Children and Young People Death Review Committee.

“Younger children are particularly vulnerable,” Ms Carmody says.

“Our message is clear: never leave children alone in cars, always take children with you and when leaving the car, check to make sure that all occupants leave the vehicle or are carried out when unloading.

“Young children quickly dehydrate and are at risk of suffering serious heat distress. Leaving the window down a few centimetres has little effect and only causes a slight decrease in temperature. If you have errands to do or need to go into the servo take your child with you, or if it’s practical, make other arrangements to leave the child where they’re safer, rather than putting them at risk of being unattended in a vehicle.”

If members of the public see a child left alone in a car in the hot summer weather, the committee advises that they call 000.