Dubai: Cars are not a safe place for unsupervised children — whether inside or out.
The dangers even increase in summer as being locked inside a sweltering car can feel like being trapped in a burning oven.
Two Emirati girls — aged two and four — died in Ajman on Sunday when they played inside their father’s unlocked car after he had gone for prayers. The two, however, got locked inside and suffocated to death.
Unfortunately, vehicular heatstroke among children has become an all too common incident when summer strikes. The only way to prevent it is non-stop supervision, Dr Reem Al Ameria, Child Passenger Safety Instructor, told Gulf News.
“Children will always be children and they will do all sorts of stuff. They don’t have the common sense that we have. They don’t understand what fear or danger is. Supervision in these critical ages is the only way that can prevent this. That’s why we always say they have to be under supervision 24/7,” Dr Al Ameria said.
“In general, the car is one of the most dangerous places for children to be in and around. It has happened when children are playing around the car and then the father or another member of the family backs up and hits one of the children,” she added.
During summer, 80 per cent of the rise in temperature happens in the first 30 minutes. So even when the ambient temperature is 32C, the interior can heat up rapidly to 42C in just 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, the mercury could go up to 56C.
According to the US-based Kidsandcars.org, a child’s body can overheat three to five times faster than an adult. This is because their body surface area is smaller compared to adults, which means it’s harder for them to regulate heat once their fewer sweat glands stop functioning because of shock.
In the UAE, forgetting children inside cars is the most common cause of vehicular heatstroke.
In 2015, 177 children were left in cars in the space of 16 months according to Dubai Police. Fortunately, they were rescued before succumbing to heatstroke.
Dr Al Ameria said parents should make sure their car keys are beyond their children’s reach so they won’t be able to play inside cars. Also, checking the vehicle and checking on your kids before locking it will help.
“Accidents will happen and do happen. We parents do our best to keep our children safe. I am not blaming anyone, sometimes it’s destiny. But we try our best to avoid these tragic preventable incidents. Let’s all learn from this lesson and hopefully be able to prevent such accidents from happening in the future,” Dr Al Ameria said.
Car suffocation deaths of children
04/06/2017
Two Emirati sisters, aged two and four, died after they were locked accidentally in their father’s car. The incident happened in the family’s residence in Ajman.
10/07/2014
A one-and-a-half-year-old Emirati girl died in Abu Dhabi after being forgotten in her family’s parked car.
09/05/2014
A five-year-old boy waiting in a parked car in Sharjah died after his neck got caught in the car’s automatic window.
06/09/2013
A three-year-old Yemeni boy suffocated after being left in his parents’ car for several hours in Ras Al Khaimah.
30/06/2013
A three-year-old Emirati boy died after his family forgot him in the car for almost four hours in Kalba.
06/07/2012
A five-year-old Emirati girl died after her grandmother forgot her in the car for almost two hours while she was visiting a friend in Umm Al Quwain.
24/04/2008
A four-year-old pupil died after he was left locked in his kindergarten van in Abu Dhabi.
25/05/2007
A four-year-old Emirati girl died of suffocation as she slept in her father’s car in sizzling temperatures for 45 minutes in Al Ain.
16/07/2000
A two-year-old UAE national boy died of suffocation in his father’s vehicle, in front of Khor Fakkan Hospital, while his parents were rushing their second son to the emergency department of the same hospital.
21/10/1999
A three-year-old girl suffocated to death in her teacher’s car after she forgot her in the school parking lot in Bur Dubai.
— Compiled by Gulf News Archives
