‘Look Before You Lock’ To Prevent Child Heat Stroke And 4 Other Back-to-School Safety Tips For Driving With Your Kids

For months now, the national conversation about school opening and what it will look like has taken zigs and zags and a few dizzying turns. Soooo, basically the exact opposite of how we want to be out on the road this fall.

Driving safely is always important. But this year, with everything we’ve got on our minds, it’s more important than ever to stay vigilant as drivers. We know you’re already a great driver – you’d never look at your phone while driving, right? – but here are some quick refreshers to keep everyone safe out there.

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1. Look Before You Lock

If you’ve ever gripped a steering wheel that’s been sitting in the sun, you know that the heat inside a car can be brutal. And that’s not an exaggeration: in just 10 minutes the temperature inside a car can rise more than 20 degrees.

It’s vitally important that kids are never, ever left alone in a car. Never. And even the best parents can forget a child in the back seat. It’s too easy to be distracted by the million things you need to do.

According to Jan Null, who has been tracking vehicular heatstroke deaths since 1998, about 46% of the time when a child is forgotten, the caregiver meant to drop the child off at a daycare or preschool. Unsurprisingly, Thursdays and Fridays – the end of the work week – have the highest number of forgotten child deaths. as noted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website

One thing you can do is keep a stuffed animal or some other memento in your child’s car seat. Move it to the front seat as a visual reminder that your child is in the backseat. And make sure to look before you lock. With constantly changing schedules and moms helping other moms out with carpool and other duties, make sure to have a conversation with anyone who may be driving your child this fall.

No matter how tempting it is to leave a child “just for 2 seconds,” it is never, ever okay to leave a child alone in a car. Period. The stakes are too high. And something as simple as making sure to check the back seat before locking the car can go a long way toward keeping kids safe.

1. Where Are Your Keys?

When babies are little, jingling your keys is an easy way to distract them. They’re shiny and they make a cool sound. But the minute they’re mobile, keep kids away from keys at all times. If you think a two-year-old can’t get into a locked car in seconds, you clearly don’t have a two-year-old. They’re crafty little escape artists! Always keep your car keys in a designated place where kids can’t get to them.

1. Keep Your Phone In Your Bag

Or, honestly, even in your trunk. For most of us, getting in the car with our keys, wallet and phone is practically automatic. But phone use is one of the leading causes of distracted driving and distracted driving is extremely dangerous. If you can’t drive phone-free, make sure you never text or access apps while driving. It’s a good idea to limit even voice conversations because it’s yet another distraction that we often overlook.

1. Carpool

The roads are naturally safer when traffic is lighter. One way to reduce traffic is to have fewer cars on the road. One easy way to achieve that is by carpooling with other families whenever possible. Every time someone else drives with your child, have a brief conversation about safety. Even if it feels awkward at first, it should be perfectly normal to discuss safety when sharing responsibility for our kids.

1. Remember The Responsibility

Speaking of responsibility, by the time you’re a mom, you’ve probably been driving so long that it’s like breathing; you don’t give it a second thought. Except maybe when traffic is making you late. So it’s easy to forget what a huge responsibility it is. Especially this fall, with so much on our minds, take an extra 30 seconds when you get behind the wheel. Do a quick mindfulness exercise like STOP. Just take a beat and remind yourself to be fully present and focused on getting everyone safely from one place to another.

Keeping children safe in and around vehicles is a responsibility we all share. This year, with so many things beyond our control, being extra vigilant about driving safely with our kids and others is more important than ever. Stay safe out there!

Vehicular heatstroke is one of the leading causes of non-crash-related fatalities among children. Learn more about keeping children safe in and around cars at NHTSA.gov.