TxDOT Lubbock Shares Lifesaving Advice for Preventing Heat-Related Injuries

Anyone living in West Texas this week knows just how hot it can get. Now imagine you're out playing sports, doing yardwork or taking your children with you for errands. The risk of children getting hurt or losing their lives due to heatstroke and parents' lack of awareness is staggering.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 1,000 children have died after being left alone in a hot car over the past 25 years.

This is why TxDOT Lubbock is spreading the word of what risks parents and bystanders should be on the lookout for.

Why Children Are So Vulnerable

Besides the fact that children should require more of your focus and attention right off the bat, their body temperature rises up to five times faster than an adult's. So, just because you think the car's temperature is fine for you if you slip into the store for a few groceries, never take that chance.

 Also, depending on the age and mental aptitude, children don't often tell their parents if they feel too hot or too cold. Toddlers especially won't remind you if you forget them in the back seat.

It may seem strange to some, but forgetting your child is in your car after you leave and lock the doors is more common than you'd think. This is why it's recommended that parents make a habit of setting a personal item like your phone, watch, or wallet near the child's car seat.

Ignoring the moral implications of remembering whether you have your phone in your pocket more so than your own child, this does serve as a good practice for new parents to never leave the car unattended for any amount of time.

Is Breaking Into a Car to Save a Child Legal in Texas?

This begs the question of whether strangers who happen to walk by a car and see an unattended child have an option or an obligation to break a window and pull them out.

In Texas, and with nearly all law in general, there is some gray area. Legislation, for the most part, does protect good Samaritans from any charges related to breaking and entering a parked car in order to save a child's life.

The first step should always be to call 911 and inform them that you wish to break a car window to save the child. Dispatch will provide steps on what to do, but you should always choose a window farthest from the child... for obvious reasons.

Lock Your Car Doors

Regardless of whether you have a child or not, you should always lock your car doors when you aren't using your vehicle. This applies less for those with garages and more for those who park their cars on open driveways or by the curb.

This is because—surprise, surprise—children are curious. In fact, since 1998, over 230 children have died from heatstroke after entering a vehicle and becoming trapped.

So, let's all remember that we have children who could be in the back seat, first off. And we should also make sure children are not put into these life-threatening situations when temperatures soar.