Recently, a two-year old girl died after she was left inside a car at an open-air college parking lot. According to a report by The Star, the child’s death was believed to be caused by heatstroke.
“She only realised that her child was still in the car at around 1pm. When she rushed to the vehicle, the victim was already unconscious,” said Port Dickson OCPD Supt Zainduin Ahmad. He added that preliminary investigations revealed that the mother, a lecturer at the college, left her child in the car at the parking lot for four hours.
Such an unwanted incident (among many others) is a reminder of the dangers of leaving children in the car unattended with the door locked. Put simply, DON’T DO IT, not for anything, even if it is just for a quick errand that you think will only “take a few minutes.”
Heatstroke is a serious matter, more so in a country like ours where ambient temperatures can soar to the high thirties. If you’ve ever returned to your car that has been parked under the sun for a few hours, you’re well aware of just how much hotter it can be inside a car.
In 2015, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) uploaded a video that demonstrated just how dangerous heatstroke can be. In the video, NFL player, Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals, sat inside a car to see how long he can last under the blazing heat. It only took a professional athlete eight minutes to barge his way out of the car, after the car’s interior temperature rose to a scary 48.9 degrees Celsius.
As a child’s body heats up much faster than an adult’s, according to paediatric emergency experts, that leaves them more susceptible to the dangers associated with heatstroke. Just 15 minutes being stuck in an overheated car interior could cause a child to suffer life-threatening brain or kidney injuries. When a child’s body temperature hits 40 degrees Celsius, internal organs shut down, and at 41.6 degrees Celsius, the child could die.
Unintended forgetfulness is a likely factor for little ones being left in a car, so it is imperative to try our very best to remember. Other methods to ensure that we don’t forget include placing an item at the rear with the child like handbag or phone so you have to check the back when you leave the car. To passersbys, if you spot a child (or pet) left in a car alone, you should call the police immediately.
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The parent should be charged. No exucuses.
Won’t be a problem if the car equipped with automatic climate control in off engine situation.. u won’t feel the heat at all when reenter the car. Technology can help. Human are not reliable animal.
Way out of context, dude. Do you even understand what this article is about? Hint: it’s not about people complaining about their cars hot when they enter.
His argument is valid. Technology can save lives. Maybe car manufacturers should consider putting at least some passive technology that can detect if someone is left behind a locked car, then the alarm rings etc. Parents are human after all. Easy for insensitive netizens to condemn the mother, but they don’t really know her suffering after the incident because it didn’t happen to themselves.
No excuses. Prosecute the parent for sheer negligence
Time to introduce new safety feature to ensure alarm if back passenger not leave the car…
This I can agree. If it detects something of passenger / baby size at the back upon switching off car + opening the door, ring a loud beep to remind of passenger/item at the back.
Viva 2007 has this to remind the driver to switch off the headlamps in case he/she forgets, and only sounds you as you open the door. Surely this can be extended to some extent, like seatbelt reminders and such.
Malaysians hate reminders foolishly, like seatbelt reminder.
It’s not just non-car people, I remember reading Mercedes review where the reviewer complained the seat belt reminder is so annoying. EH HELLO, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR STUPID CONVENIENCE, YOU’D RATHER NOT WEAR SEAT BELT IS IT?!! WHAT KINDA MESSAGE YOU’RE CONVEYING TO READERS?!!!
Then got demand for dummy seat belt buckle just to shut it up. Bloody insult to your safety.
Malaysians don’t deserve nice things, let natural selection do its work and punish those who have such irresponsible attitude.
That is why anyone can become a father or mother with a little bit of irresponsible activity but as we know very few qualify to be parents in Bolehland….
i hope no more of this. how can anyone FORGET THEIR CHILD??? IN THE CAR somemore with them –driving.. NEXT TIME LEAVE YOUR HAND PHONE WITH YR KID>.. cos that shiit you never FORGET ! …
Best comment here. Why – bcos at least U gave a solution. I will add that the ministry of transport should make it mandatory to ANCHOR the child in the front seat. That way, no excuse of forgetting & keep the hand phone there too.
What kinda of guardian/parent whom could have “forgotten” his/her child in the car for so long??
might be occupied with his/her handphone…..until lupa?….
Very sad.
Why does this still happen????
With all these years of PSA for this AND for holding/unsecured child incidents, what are these parents doing?????!!!
Such tragedy.
Sighhh…just sigh….
– I Have Added A Comment –
condolence to parent who lost a daughter, a big Thai slap to the parent also. let’s hope this will be the last news from this kind of stupidity.
We can’t stop the human stupidity and ignorance.
But pls charge the parent!
But sometimes \technology can bring some limelight to it.
Introduce a human motion & heat detection in car and automatically alert / wind down the window if the car is off.
OR
simply play the alarm if motion detected upon locking the car.
Quantity over quality, i bet she has at least 8 other children. Humans should be sterilized more often.