Spring may have just sprung but in Yuma the season brings triple digit heat. Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Police Department and Youth and Child Services (CYS) are teaming up to remind caretakers of some basic safety precautions.
Buckle up
CYS and YPG PD urge parents to always buckle up themselves and children no matter how short their travel distance.
“A lot of people think ‘my house is just a block away from the CDC’ or ‘it’s just right around the corner why do I need to buckle up my kids?’ but anything can happen in that one second,” warns Assistant Child Development Director (CDC) Jessica Bailey.
“Maybe you hit a speed bump wrong, or you can have to stop short because a dog, cat or coyote runs in the road. Anything can happen so please make sure that your child is buckled up safely.”
The CDC recently hosted the YPG PD at their facility for a car seat safety check. Officers educated parents on proper car seat usage and checked to ensure the car seat was installed correctly.
Don’t leave kids in cars
Never leave children unattended in the car even if they are just making a quick stop to drop off a sibling at school or running inside the Exchange. YPG policy prohibits leaving a child unattended in a car. Plus, it’s not safe.
As a test YPG Police Officer Sgt. David Thompson put a water thermometer in a car and in less than five minutes the thermometer was indicating the car was too hot. Even if your car is left running, accidents can happen.
“Even if it’s just running into school. People ask you questions, so you might get delayed going back out to your car and if your car does turn off you won’t know it. There are very few cars that alert you that your car turned off. It’s best to just avoid that situation,” explained Thompson.
Stay cool and hydrated
With the raising temperatures it’s imperative to make sure no one gets over exposed to the elements.
“Kids may seem like they are not getting overheated because kids will play until they collapse so you need to be aware. Make sure you are giving them regular water breaks, make sure they are in the shade and that they are wearing sunblock.”
As a precaution, when the temps rise the CDC staff does not take the children outside to play.
CYS staff and YPG PD are available if parents need more information on car seat safety. CDC Director Shauna Nunn recently became certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician and is authorized through Safe Kids to perform car seat installation sessions. She can be contacted by email at Shauna.m.nunn.naf@army.mil.
Social Sharing