To raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children
unattended in or around motor vehicles, California Highway Patrol
cars will don a purple ribbon on the antenna for the month of
August, according to a press release from the agency.
To raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children unattended in or around motor vehicles, California Highway Patrol cars will don a purple ribbon on the antenna for the month of August, according to a press release from the agency.
August was designated as “Purple Ribbon Month” by 4 R Kids Sake, a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent children’s deaths in or around cars.
“As a driver, you are responsible for the safety of your passengers both while the vehicle is running and when it is parked,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow in the release. “Carelessness can lead to tragedy.”
The CHP reminds motorists that summer heat can quickly create deadly conditions inside a vehicle, especially for children, the release said.
Research by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in 2007 showed that for children hyperthermia (heat-stroke) is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths. Every year in the United States, an average of 27 children die as a result of hyperthermia, or excessive heat, while in a vehicle.
“Kaitlyn’s Law,” enacted in 2002, made leaving a child under the age of 6 unattended in a vehicle without the supervision of someone older than 12 years old an infraction with a fine of $100. The law is named after Kaitlyn Russell, a 6-month-old who died in 2000 after she was left alone in her babysitter’s car for about two hours.
“If you see a child unattended in a vehicle call 911 immediately,” said Farrow. “Not only is leaving a child in a vehicle unattended dangerous, under California law it is illegal.”
He added, “hopefully, by focusing attention on this issue, we can prevent the senseless loss of innocent lives in the future.”
