'Dog days of summer' can be brutal for pets, kids

Did you know:
BCAA’s Road Assist service rescues close to 300 children and pets from locked cars each year.
During summer, your car can become a four-door furnace in minutes, endangering the lives of children and pets left unattended.

During warm weather, the inside of your car can reach extremely high temperatures in a matter of minutes even if you're parked in the shade. Even on a mild summer day at 23ºC, temperatures can climb as high as 40 or 50 degrees inside a car within minutes. This can mean real trouble for your child or pet left unattended. A child or pet could suffer severe dehydration, heat stroke, or even death.

Many of BCAA’s 'accidental lock-in’ calls occur while children playing with keys lock themselves inside the vehicle, or when drivers and their passengers become distracted while getting in and out of their vehicle. Car doors can close unexpectedly, locking young children or a pet in the car along with the car keys.

Play it safe and take the following precautions:

• Never leave a child or pet alone in a car even with the windows down or air conditioner on.
• Teach children not to play in cars and keep car keys out of reach and sight.
• Keep your vehicle locked at all times—even at home in the garage or driveway. This will help prevent toddlers from crawling into a car and accidentally locking themselves inside.
• When running errands, leave children with a responsible adult at home, or travel with a responsible passenger who can stay with children or pets while you complete your tasks.
• Keep your pets at home during hot summer days unless you need to take them to the veterinarian office, doggie day camp, or grooming salon.
• If you drive a pickup truck, don't leave dogs in the truckbed. The heat can burn their feet.
• Before buckling children in the car, check to make sure surfaces such as seat belt buckles aren’t overly hot as they could burn a child’s sensitive skin.
• If a child or pet is locked inside a vehicle, call 9-1-1 in an extreme emergency.

Develop a routine

• Always turn around to check your backseat before you leave the car. It is surprisingly common to forget you have kids or pets if they are quiet or sleeping.
• If you need to retrieve items placed in the backseat, make it a habit to open the rear doors rather than reaching from the front seat. This will ensure you don’t forget anyone.
• Put your child’s bags and other items in the front seat. With their belongings in plain sight, you’re less likely to forget you’re travelling with them.
• If you have several kids and/or pets in the car, do a head count before you close the door to make sure everyone is out when you reach your destination.