BURRILLVILLE – The first week of July is forecasted to be a very hot one with a long stretch of temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. School is out for the summer and plenty of families will be heading to the beaches to try and escape the heat while enjoying fun at the ocean.
It’s very important that when you travel back-and-forth to area beaches, whether it’s the ocean or nearby ponds and lakes, that you never leave kids alone in hot cars. Kids should not be left alone in hot cars for any reason whatsoever, regardless of where you are traveling on extremely hot days. Children can be placed in harm’s way in just a few minutes sitting inside a hot vehicle. Keep keys away from children and keep kids away from vehicles that are not in use. Make sure that they always stay at least three feet away from any vehicle unless they are entering or exiting that vehicle for transportation purposes. If you bring pets along with you when you travel, they should never be left alone in hot cars either.
Heatstroke, severe illnesses and deaths can be prevented if kids are not left alone inside hot cars or trucks during the summer season.
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades.
