East Baton Rouge authorities have ruled the death of an infant left in a hot car all day last month an accident. The parent told deputies they forgot to drop their six-month-old child at daycare in the morning and realized the terrible mistake when they went to the daycare facility after work. Kids and Car Safety Director Amber Rollins says usually when this happens its completely accidental and
“No criminal charge or jail sentence is going to be worse than the punishment than that parent put on themselves for the rest of their lives.”
According to Rollins, these accidents often result from a combination of stress, fatigue, and changes in routine, which can disrupt normal memory processes.
“you know these parents have literally no idea that their child wasn’t dropped off. They go to the daycare at the end of the day at lot of times to pick their child up and that’s when they realize they were never dropped off in the first place.”
Rollins says to create a visual reminder for when your child is in the car with you, which can break a parent out of autopilot. Rollins suggests keeping a large stuffed animal in the back seat…
“And then any time you buckle your child into their car seat you bring that stuffed animal up in your lap into the front seat with you as that visual and physical cue that your child is with you.”
You can visit kidsandcars.org for more information on how to keep kids safe.
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