Out of sight, out of mind.

Most of us have used this well-worn phrase to explain our forgetfulness, but it also is one of the reasons some parents and caregivers give to explain why they had forgotten young children strapped into car seats and went on their way, sometimes with tragic results.With scorching heat and high humidity gripping much of the country during the past two weeks, and with seven weeks of summer lying in front of us, out of sight, out of mind must never again be the reason a child dies from being left unattended in an automobile which becomes a bake oven.During July, seven children have died from heat complications after being left unattended in vehicles. One occurred in Williamsport, making the issue hit close to home. Samaria Motyka, 4, died on July 22 after her caregiver, who was to have taken her to day care, instead forgot Samaria was in the car and drove to work.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when temperatures outside range from 80 to 100 degrees, the temperature inside a parked car in direct sunlight can quickly climb to between 130 and 172 degrees.Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly spike to life-threatening levels if the sun is out, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. They hope their findings will put to rest the misconception that a parked car can be a safe place for a child in mild weather. There are cases of children dying on days as cool as 70 degrees.The latest death occurred on July 24 in Dallas, Texas, when Boi Lei Sang, 2, was left in a hot car in a parking lot while his family was in church.These seven raised the number of U.S. hot-car deaths to at least 23 so far this year. This is almost as high as all of last year. On average, 37 children die from heat-related deaths after being trapped inside vehicles, according to Kids and Cars, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, which educates the public about these dangers. Even the best of parents or caregivers can unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car, and the end result can be injury, even death, the organization says.Although most of these deaths occur in warm-weather states, any area, such as ours, which experiences periodic heat waves, is prone to this calamity. Since 1990, there have been 111 hot car deaths in Texas, 80 in Florida and 54 in California. Between 1998 and 2015, there have been 10 heatstroke deaths involving children left in hot cars here in Pennsylvania.Just 20 of the 50 states - thankfully, Pennsylvania is among them - have unattended child laws that lay out specific language addressing leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. Fourteen of the 30 had proposed but not passed these important laws.Ten states - Pennsylvania is not among these - have good Samaritan Laws which protect people who see a child in a hot car and take action to help the child.Regrettably, it is a scenario that has become too familiar: A couple forgot that their child was in the back seat of the car. Just an hour later, when they remembered, they found the child unresponsive, and the child died.In another case, parents unloaded groceries from the car but forgot that their 11-month-old child was buckled into a back seat carrier. When they finished their task, they went into the house. By the time they remembered that their baby wasn't with them, it was too late, and the child died.Janette Fennell, president and founder of Kids and Cars, cautions that we should not categorically condemn parents as neglectful. "I feel very strongly they are failures of memory, not failures of love," she told USA Today.Kids and Cars offers these common-sense precautions to avoid these tragedies:• Look before you lock - open the back door and look into the back seat to assure that everyone is out of the car.• Keep something you need in the back seat, such as your cellphone, briefcase, computer, lunch or ID badge.• Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When baby is in the seat, the stuffed animal rides shotgun, a reminder that baby's on board.• Always lock car doors. Even if the car is in the garage, keeping the doors locked will prevent curious children from getting into a hot car.• Put the keys and fobs away. Kids might play with keys or fobs and get into a car without the parents' knowledge.• Work out a plan with your child-care provider. If your child does not show up for day care or school without prior notice, someone should call to account for the child.• If you see something, do something. If you see a child alone in a car, do not hesitate to call 911."The biggest mistake," Fennell says, "is thinking that it can't happen to you."When you say 'this can't happen to me,' then you have already decided you don't need to use these safety tips. It is easier to blame others than to understand that we are all vulnerable," Fennell said.While there have been and will continue to be strides in technology as vehicle manufacturers introduce breakthroughs in reminder systems, the best approach is awareness and education.By Bruce Frassinelli |

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