Community Corner
July 31 Is National Heatstroke Prevention Day
A child dies from heatstroke every 10 days from being left alone in an unattended vehicle. In fact, heatstroke is the leading cause of a non-crash vehicle fatality for children 14 and younger.
On Wednesday, July 31, Pinellas County Public Safety Services is joining a national effort to raise awareness about this preventable tragedy with a Social Media Conversation Day.
Find out what's happening in Largowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On this day, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking the public to share safety messages through Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #heatstroke.
Find out what's happening in Largowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- A child’s body absorbs more heat on a hot day than does an adult’s body.
- High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death in children.
- Ten minutes is all the time it takes for a car to reach deadly temperatures.
- In 52 percent of cases, children are “forgotten” by their caregiver.
- In 29 percent of cases, children enter the vehicle on their own.
- Caregivers are urged to never leave a child alone in a car.
More information about National Heatstroke Prevention Day can be found at http://www.nhtsa.gov/safety/hyperthermian and http://www.safercar.gov/parents/heatstroke.htm.
For more information about Pinellas County services and programs, visit www.pinellascounty.org, now with LiveChat, or create a shortcut to www.pinellascounty.org/mobile on any smartphone. Pinellas County government is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
