UAE Law: Up to 10 years jail for leaving child in hot car

Dubai: Temperatures inside a car can soar 30°C higher than outside, and leaving a child for just one minute can be fatal.

This is the reality highlighted by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) in their 'Safety of Children in Vehicles Guide', released in March 2024.

The recent death of a seven-year-old boy in Sharjah is a stark reminder of this danger. As UAE temperatures rise, protecting children from heatstroke in parked cars is crucial.

How to prevent a tragedy

Leaving your child in the car for a quick errand is extremely dangerous and negligent. According to the guide, heatstroke is the leading cause of children’s deaths in vehicle-related incidents other than traffic accidents.

To help parents understand the dangers of leaving children unattended in a locked car, ECA and ADPHC have advised parents to follow the steps below:

1. Always make sure that the car doors are locked and that the keys are placed in a safe place away from children.
2. Make sure to keep the car locked when it is empty so that children cannot get into it by themselves.
3. Place something in the back of the car next to the child, such as a bag, handbag, or mobile phone, you will need it at the destination you are going to, so it serves as a reminder that there is a child in the car. This is necessary if the driver is not following his or her usual routine.
4. If a child is in a car alone, call 999 (police) or 998 (ambulance) immediately, as emergency personnel are trained to respond to these situations.
5. Make sure to monitor the interior temperature of the car.
6. Always get your children out of the car first and then take out things like your grocery bags or luggage.
7. Many modern vehicles also have a ‘child presence detection’ feature to warn the driver when the child seat is installed.

Why cars become deadly traps

Inside a locked car, temperatures can soar up to 30 degrees Celsius more than outside, even in a short amount of time. A 2023 Sharjah Child Safety Department experiment titled – ‘Look before you lock’ demonstrated that while outside temperatures are between 40 to 45 degrees Celsius, the temperature inside a locked can quickly rise up to 30 degrees higher in the span of only 10 minutes.

In the experiment, people were placed in a locked car to experience what children left inside closed vehicles during the scorching summer months would go through.

The extreme heat can lead to heatstroke, dizziness, fatigue, headache, and nausea, coupled with significant decreases in their oxygen levels.

According to a 2023 Gulf News report, as the body sweats to cool itself in response to elevated temperatures, it loses vital fluids and salts, disrupting the electrochemical balance within cells.

Consequently, this process accelerates the heart rate, raises blood pressure, and diminishes oxygen levels in the bloodstream. These adverse reactions can culminate in fainting, and in severe instances, even lead to suffocation and death.

The penalty for leaving a child in a locked car in the UAE

Under the Federal Law on Child Rights also known as ‘Wadeema Law’, parents and guardians who leave their children in locked cars can face imprisonment for up to 10 years and fines of up to Dh1 million.