Wyndham City has partnered with Kidsafe Victoria to implement a targeted local campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of leaving children in cars
In 2016, Ambulance Victoria Paramedics received 1562 callouts for children left in cars. In Wyndham a total of 86 calls were made to triple-zero to rescue kids locked in parked cars in 2016, with most calls coming from Hoppers Crossing (24), Werribee (23) and Point Cook (19).
The campaign between Wyndham City and Kidsafe Victoria will see warning signs placed at venues including early childhood centres across the municipality, together with extensive education and social media campaigns targeting the municipalities 217,000 residents.
Wyndham City Councillor, Mia Shaw, said that the introduction of the ‘Do Not Leave Children in Cars’ campaign as part of the Family Friendly Portfolio is timely, given the warm weather over the summer period.
“This campaign will deliver vital and potentially lifesaving messages around the dangers of leaving children unattended in cars to all parents, carers and service providers in our community,” Cr Shaw said.
Jason Chambers, General Manager of Kidsafe Victoria, said, “The direct action by Wyndham City is a major step in supporting the community and the efforts of Kidsafe Victoria, Government, emergency services and health authorities, in raising awareness of this important issue.”
The campaign is part of a wider partnership between Wyndham City and Kidsafe Victoria that will see the implementation of a range of programs and activities across the next 12 months, including community child car restraint checking sessions, child restraint information sessions and quarterly community awareness campaigns focusing on issues such as children left unattended in cars, driveway safety and backyard pool safety.
Children left unattended in car facts:
- The temperature inside a parked car can be 20-30 degrees hotter than outside
- 75% of the temperature rise occurs within the first 5 minutes of parking/turning off the car
- A young child’s body temperature rises 3-5 times faster than an adults, placing them at greater risk of becoming dehydrated and suffering heatstroke, which can be fatal
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