The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office encouraging parents to employ “Baby In The Back” hangtags as a reminder not to leave a child in a hot car.
Some 37 children die each year in the United States after being left in cars. Overton County Sheriff John Garrett said in most cases, a child is left in a hot car simply because parents forget the child is in the vehicle.
“Just like the dinger on your car whenever you open your door, you know, if it’s dinging, that probably means that you’ve either left your lights on or the keys are in the ignition,” Garrett said. “So just another reminder that hey, that child is back there. That could potentially save some children’s lives or keep them from being severely injured.”
Garrett said hangtags may even be more crucial now, as recent temperatures have crept into the mid-90s across the Upper Cumberland.
“If the outside temperature is in the mid-90s, then you shut the car up, you know, all four doors are shut, all four windows are up, it’s not running, there’s no AC, there’s no ventilation, it’s gonna heat up extremely quickly,” Garrett said. “I’m talking about minutes, you know, then we could be looking at temperatures well over 100 degrees in there.”
Garrett said it is not okay to ever leave a child in the car, even if it means going into a store for just a minute. Garrett said he encourages parents and guardians to think about what they are doing before exiting a vehicle.
“Get in a habit, if you can, that every time you exit your vehicle before you exit your vehicle, just take a quick glance in the back seat,” Garrett said. “Just a quick glance in the backseat is all it takes.”
Garrett said if people are unable to get hangtags, sticking a post-it note in the middle of the steering wheel also works as a good reminder. Tennesseans can request free hangtags from the Secretary of State’s office online.
According to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety, an estimated 1,138 children have died, while an estimated 7,500 children have survived with various injuries from being left in hot cars.
