Background
In recent weeks, five cases have occurred, in which babies and infants that had been forgotten in private vehicles died.
Between the years 2008 and 2016, 404 cases of children left alone in a vehicle or of children being trapped/locked in a vehicle were reported by the media. 453 children were involved in these cases. 23 cases ended in the child’s death.
Additional data:
- In about 60% of the recorded cases, children were left alone in the vehicle, in about 40% the child was trapped inside the vehicle and in less than 1% the vehicle was burned.
- The majority of cases were involved private vehicles (85%). Cases of leaving children or their being locked in transport cars (about 10%), in a bus (about 5%) and in the light train (less than 1%) were also recorded.
- The most prominent age group of children forgotten in vehicles consists of babies and infants 0-3 years (about 77% of the total number of children involved). Infants up to 2 years of age are about 42% of the total forgotten children.
- About 70% of the children in the recorded cases were boys and in most cases (93%) that reported the sector to which the child had belonged was, the casualties were Jews.
- About 56% of the reported cases occurred during the months May-September, the hottest months of the year.
Various studies show that:
- “The baby forgotten in the car syndrome” occurs most of the time when the parent is under mental stress, experiences sleep shortage and also when a change of the child’s daily transport routine occurs. In situations like this, the driver is ruled by “Automatic pilot” behavior that causes him to forget his non-routine mission to drive the child. He continues with his daily routine, thus forgetting the child in the car.
- Extreme heat impacts babies and infants much faster and much more severely than it does adults. Since children’s body measurements are small, their body temperature may rise three to five times faster than an adult’s body temperature.
- The inside of the vehicle may reach 70 degrees Celsius!
- The main rise in temperature occurs in the first few minutes – one study found that the temperature inside the vehicle rises in the first 5 minutes by 75% and reaches a temperature of between 51 and 67 degrees Celsius within 15 minutes.
- Leaving an open window does not help – even if a window is left partially open, the temperature inside the car rises to levels which are very dangerous for children, vulnerable adults and animals.
- A heat stroke can occur also on days that are not particularly hot: in days when the outside temperature was 22 degrees Celsius, the temperature inside the car rose within 60 minutes to 47 C. Another study found that 80% of the temperature rise occurred in the first 30 minutes.
National program to prevent forgetting children in vehicles
In view of the increasing cases of children being forgotten in vehicles and their harsh consequences, it was decided in August 2016 to elaborate recommendations for a national emergency program to be led by the Ministry of Health, with the participation of other ministries and entities.
In addition to the Ministry of Health, the following entities are taking part in the program: The Ministries of Transport, Welfare, Economy and Education, the Authority for Bedouin Development and Settlement in the Negev of the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Information Directorate of the Prime Minister Office, the National Road Safety Authority, the Knesset Children's Rights Committee and the Knesset Science Committee, the Federation of Local Authorities, and "BeTerem" - The National Center for Children's Safety and Health.
The program shall address the following aspects:
- Legislation requiring the installation of technological means in vehicles to prevent children being forgotten;
- Increasing the awareness among the pedagogic staff of kindergartens and day-care centers about the need to verify that all children have arrived at the kindergarten;
- Increasing the public awareness by means of a national publicity radio and TV campaign;
- Awareness campaign at the Infant Health Centers (Tipot Chalav), clinics, maternity units at hospitals, and community centers;
- Awareness campaign through the local authorities;
- Awareness campaign through businesses and firms engaged in the relevant areas; kids' accessories shops, gas stations, car rental agencies, and more.
