The Never Leave Kids in Cars campaign prompts parents to take their kids with them whenever they get out of the car, just as they do their everyday valuables, to avoid potentially tragic consequences.
Children can and do die in hot cars — and the risk is highest in summer.
Even on mild days the temperature inside a parked car can be 20-30 degrees hotter than the temperature outside. When it’s 30 degrees outside, a child could be suffering in up to 60-degree heat.
The risk of heatstroke and dehydration is very real.
Between 1 September 2015 to 31 August this year, Ambulance Victoria paramedics were called to 1,623 cases of children locked in cars – 190 more than the year before. Unfortunately, the busiest period is November to March. Last December, Ambulance Victoria paramedics responded to an average of seven calls every single day.
It is illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle in all states and territories of Australia.
In Victoria, it is illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle under the Children, Youth and Families Act (2005). The penalties for leaving a child unattended in a car in Victoria include:
- A fine (currently $3,690), or;
- A maximum of 6 months jail
Children, Youth and Families Act (2005)
Section 494 – Offence to leave a child unattended (Page 386).
CLICK HERE for more advice on how to Survive The Heat this summer in Greater Shepparton.
