May 12, 2009
Nearly 2 years ago, Kevin Kelly left his 21 month old daughter in a sweltering van for nearly seven hours. When rescue personnel arrived, her skin was red and blistered, her burnt orange hair matted with sweat. Two hours later, her body temperature was still nearly 106 degrees.
In the Summer months, the biggest danger to child safety is the sweltering heat. Nearly 340 children have died from heat exhaustion inside vehicles in the past 10 years, a number that has risen dramatically since the introduction of juvenile air-bags in 1995. Ironically, this advance is one of the many factors that has contributed to the rise in child deaths (as a result of the development of juvenile air-bags, parents put their children in the back seat, where they are more easily forgotten, as opposed to the front seat, which offers easier visibility). Notably, however, there is a far more pressing danger in the Summer months.
A report from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service estimates that 35% of all children abducted are taken during the Summer months. This statistic may be, in great part, the result of children spending more time with noncustodial parents during the Summer. Even more dangerous is leaving children unattended after closing hours at daycare and after school programs. The lack of adequate surveillance, family disputes and teenagers working Summer jobs out of the home are some of the reasons why Summer is the most difficult season to protect our children.
Missing children statistics point to Summer months as the height of all child abductions. It is nearly impossible to completely protect your child from abduction. It is possible, however, to ensure that your child is both properly monitored and well protected. Sign up for InstantAmber today to provide your child with the unparalleled protection offered by the internet’s premier child safety tool. And make sure to take a look at our child safety checklist to find out what you can do to protect your child in the coming Summer months.
