Last week\u2019s tragedy in Lakewood was horrific.<\/p>\n
A nearly 2-year old beautiful girl was unintentionally left in the car and died from vehicular heat stroke. In other words, she was left in a locked car which rapidly heated up \u2013 and the outside temperature was only 69 degrees.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Since 1998, when the United States started keeping records on this, there have been 801 deaths, according to noheatstroke.org<\/strong><\/a>, an organization founded by Jan Null, a meteorologist whose passion is to prevent these types of death from happening. Mr. Null readily agreed to be interviewed for this article as did all people cited throughout.<\/p>\n Death by hyperthermia is a heat stroke. A heat stroke is a type of severe heat illness that results in a body temperature of greater than 104 degrees. When the core body temperature cannot cool down, everything breaks down and the gut leaks toxins. The combination of children\u2019s bodies not cooling down as rapidly and as efficiently as adults and that cars, even in cool spring weather, can heat up swiftly in the sun, can be a lethal combination.<\/p>\n We are never to judge these parents or any parents who forget children in their cars. It can happen to any person. The highly educated, the lesser educated, the religious, the nonreligious, the wealthy, the middle class, the poor. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. 25% of all parents report that at some point, they have lost awareness of a child in the car. <\/em>Clearly, each of us and all of us are vulnerable.<\/p>\n Parents who forget children in cars are not criminally negligent. And they are not \u201cbad\u201d parents. It happens because of the way our human brains work. Any parent, grandparent, caregiver or other person driving children is susceptible. Allow me to explain.<\/p>\n The competition between the brain\u2019s memory systems<\/strong><\/p>\n Neuropsychologist Dr. David M. Diamond of the University of South Florida is an expert on memory. Since 2004, he has studied the phenomenon of parents forgetting about children and leaving them in cars. He has also interviewed many parents of such children.<\/p>\n Dr. Diamond explains that our brains have several memory systems that compete with one another.<\/p>\n \u201cHabit memory\u201d involves tasks with repetitive actions that are performed automatically. For example, we wake up in the morning, say Modeh Ani,<\/em> wash Negel Vasser<\/em> and then begin the day. Another example of habitual memory is getting in the car and driving from home to office. Habit memory allows us to multi-task without being fully conscious so that while we are driving, we might have a conversation with another person or listen to a podcast. Think of this as being on auto-pilot mode.<\/p>\n \u201cProspective memory\u201d allows us to hold information in our heads and plan to use it at some point in the future. We all try \u201cto remember to remember.\u201d It can either time-based or event-based and something that can be triggered by a cue. Example:\u00a0 I see the store\u2019s advertisement (cue) which reminds me to purchase milk (action).<\/p>\n It is a daily occurrence that habit memory will prevail over the prospective memory. For example, I am driving home from work and know that the family needs milk for breakfast tomorrow morning, and despite knowing about this need, I somehow end up parked in front of my home and never stopped to get the milk. Why?<\/p>\n \u201cThe suppression of the prospective memory caused by the dominance of the brain\u2019s habit memory is an almost daily occurrence,\u201d Dr. Diamond says. \u201cWhen we forget to stop for groceries on the way home from work, it\u2019s because the habit memory system takes us directly home, suppressing our awareness (prospective memory) that we had planned to stop at the store.\u201d<\/p>\n It would be wonderful if all prospective memory failures were as \u201cpareve\u201d<\/em> as forgetting about a grocery item or two or even a more complete grocery shopping.<\/p>\n Go back for a moment to the recent Lakewood tragedy \u2013 The news reports cited that the parents, who will not be thankfully charged with her death, had a \u201cmisunderstanding\u201d about the day\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n Dr. Diamond underscores, \u201cOur flawed prospective memory puts those we love at risk. This is especially true when we assume that precautions are not necessary because such tragedies happen only to negligent parents. The evidence is clear that the assumption is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Change, stress, sleep deprivation and other factors we all know too well<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Diamond is firm that although each case of a child being left unintentionally in a car is unique, they all share certain commonalities:<\/p>\n It seems that there is a \u201cchoice point\u201d during the drive where the parent could go to the daycare or to another destination like work or home. At that choice, Dr. Diamond says, parents report having lost awareness that the child is in the car.<\/p>\n Parents who have forgotten children this way report stressful or distracting experiences before and\/or during the drive. Sleep deprivation is also a major factor.<\/p>\n It is known that stress and lack of sleep can compromise the habit memory and impair the prospective memory. When stress and sleep deprivation are factored into the scenario, it is likely that the habit memory system will hijack the prospective memory system.<\/p>\n We frum Jews know only too well about stress and sleep deprivation. Our measures in these areas can be quite off the charts.<\/p>\n We are also multi-taskers par excellence<\/em>. Our families are larger. It\u2019s not uncommon for parents to be dealing with bottle and diapers, homework and high school and\/or seminary and yeshiva applications AND shidduchim, <\/em>many times all concurrently. The challenges of earning parnassah<\/em> to support our families and lifestyles has been anecdotally documented. It\u2019s not easy to juggle all these balls. Let\u2019s not forget our action-packed days of getting up and out, keeping home and work going, preparing dinner, readying for Shabbos, etc. There is no lack of what to do when we are raising our families.<\/p>\n I would be remiss to leave out the perils of the cell phone. Let\u2019s face it \u2013 many people, especially millennials, are always browsing and the cell phone has become a permanent appendage. It\u2019s the way of life nowadays that can have negative repercussions, if not used properly.\u00a0 This piece of plastic and electronics can be distracting, as it disrupts our focus and attention.<\/p>\n A universal observation that Dr. Diamond has made is that each parent\u2019s brain appears to have created the false memory that he or she brought the child to daycare.\u00a0 This incongruity explains why those parents believe their child is where he or she should be, even telling colleagues that they need to pick up their children.<\/p>\n Pediatric deaths by hyperthermia in cars is a recent phenomenon<\/strong><\/p>\n Interestingly, pediatric deaths by hyperthermia resulting from children being left unintentionally in cars is a relatively recent phenomenon.<\/p>\n How do we explain this?<\/p>\n Mr. Null, Dr. Diamond and Amber Rollins, Director of kidsandcars.org<\/a><\/strong>, a public safety awareness organization that seeks to educate parents, caregivers and others about how to keep children safe from the perils that exist with cars, all point to the change of not allowing car seats to be in the front seat.<\/p>\n Some readers may remember when we put car seats on the passenger seat. It was not all that long ago. When that happened, parents did not forget children because they were in plain sight; they were simply unforgettable. Yet technology progressed and airbags were introduced. Airbags would deploy and then BOOM — too many children in those car seats in the front were harmed.<\/p>\n Hence, legislation was promulgated so that we are now mandated to put children in the back, behind our heads. Unfortunately, there is truth to the adage, \u201cOut of sight, out of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Young children and unattended cars should never happen, please<\/strong><\/p>\n Parents leaving a child unintentionally in a car account for 54% of the 801 deaths of death by hyperthermia in cars since 1998. The other 46% have been caused by children gaining access to unattended cars and becoming trapped therein, as well as children being left intentionally in cars.<\/p>\n How do children gain access to unattended cars?<\/p>\n There are people who leave their cars unlocked, for whatever reasons. There are a number of scenarios that could happen. Here is a plausible one:<\/p>\n It\u2019s a beautiful afternoon when children return home from day camp. Later in the afternoon, they are playing \u2018Hide-and-Seek\u2019 outside supervised by Ema, Daddy, Bubby, Saba or whomever. The adult-in-charge needs to step inside the house, perhaps to check on dinner or use the restroom. The adult might say to the 8 or 9 or 10-year old who is there, \u201cPlease hold down the fort and keep an eye on things while I run inside quickly.\u201d The adult returns within 3-5 minutes and resumes supervising. It might be a short moment or two or several longer moments when the adult notices that 4-year old Shlomo is nowhere to be found. The adult calls out for Shlomo but there\u2019s no answer. The adult scurries around, looking at the neighbor\u2019s property, going back inside their own house and everywhere.\u00a0 Others engage in the search. Those moments when you cannot find a child when he is supposed to be somewhere are terrifying.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically, cars are not the first \u2018go-to\u2019 place that people search for a missing-in-action child,\u201d Mrs. Rollins says. \u201cYet a child perceives of a car as a \u2018fun\u2019 place to hide and hang out. If you have a pool, wouldn\u2019t that be one of the first places you check? Make your car place #2.\u201d<\/p>\n Once a child enters an unlocked car and locks the doors, he is trapped. The child safety locks kick into action and because they are child safety locks, the child cannot unlock them. As the car heats up and the child is inside, the unthinkable and unspeakable can happen.<\/p>\n Noheatstroke.org\u2019s Jan Null is clear that children gaining access to cars accounts for 26.3% of deaths of kids, cars and hyperthermia. 18.9% of these deaths are caused by a caregiver knowingly leaving a child unattended in car. A survey of 1,000 parents in 2014 revealed that 14% of parents have done this. And fathers are more likely to behave this way that mothers.<\/p>\n Leaving a child unattended in a car \u2013 How can this happen?<\/p>\n \u201cImpatience seems to be the order of the day,\u201d Dr. Diamond explains. \u201cPeople are in a hurry. People have so much to get done. An adult may think that an errand in a store will be \u2018only\u2019 3 minutes \u2013 and before they know it, it\u2019s more like 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Our packed lives are jammed-packed with everything we need and want to get done. As always, time is of the essence. Is this scenario all that unlikely?<\/p>\n G-d forbid, if you ever saw this, I urge you to break the window of the car and get out the child. A broken window is a nothing price to pay to have a healthy child.<\/p>\n The professionals interviewed for this article are emphatic that people who intentionally leave a child alone in a car are negligent.<\/p>\n \u201cA child not in view puts the child in harm\u2019s way,\u201d Dr. Diamond emphasizes, \u201cincluding at the risk of being kidnapped.\u201d<\/p>\n This statistic of 46% of pediatric hyperthermia deaths are because children gain access to unattended cars or parents have left them intentionally in cars is the reason why many professionals in this field, including Dr. Diamond, Ms. Amber and Mr. Null, dislike the phrase coined by the media, \u201cForgotten Baby Syndrome (FBS).\u201d<\/p>\n In our penchant to label and categorize things and events \u2013 part of how our brains work \u2013 people seek names for phenomena like this, the media included. Yet it does a disservice.<\/p>\n Neuroscientist Dr. Diamond explains that \u201cFBS trivializes forgetting kids in car and makes it something akin to forgetting our phones or wallets in the car. But do we label everything so there is \u2018Forgotten Keys Syndrome\u2019 or \u2018Forgotten Notebook Syndrome\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Much research has been invested in this topic as evidenced by the length and seriousness of this article.\u00a0 To appreciate the scope of this nuanced issue, it is important to give a comprehensive overview.\u00a0 I cannot emphasize enough that we need to remove the headset \u201cIt will never happen to me.\u201d It can happen to each of us. Period.<\/p>\n Sadly, it happened again on May 11, 2019, to a nearly 2-year old in Canada\u2019s British Columbia. Never are we to judge any parent who unintentionally leaves a child in the car.<\/p>\n The professionals cited in this article are passionate about their work (even the scientists). A spectrum of people care and are devoting their talents accordingly.<\/p>\n In addition to the sources cited in the article, I urge you to read Gene Weingarten\u2019s article \u201cFatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?<\/strong><\/a>\u201d This article was published in The Washington Post<\/em> in 2009.\u00a0 Mr. Weingarten won a Pulitzer Prize for it. You will be a changed person for reading it.<\/p>\n Kidsandcars.org<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Amber Rollins, together with the organization\u2019s founder Janette Fannell, have put together a fantastically useful website with practical, useful information.\u00a0 Please read through and use it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Interventions and Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n The solutions here are multi-factoral and layered. They should all be used at different points in order to create a \u201cwin-win\u201d for all so there are no more tragic deaths of children this way. As we know, the consequences of the death of a child reverberate for generations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been proven that it takes 21 days to make something into a habit,\u201d says Mrs. Rollins.\u00a0 \u201cStart this habit today.\u201d<\/p>\n Picture one parent pulling the car into the driveway while Rachell is sleeping soundly in the car seat. The back of the car is popped open which is followed by the frenetic rush to unload the groceries. Do not assume that Rachell has been moved from the car seat into the house. Verbally communicate to your spouse or an older child something like, \u201cYou get the bundles while I get Rachell.\u201d<\/p>\n Remember:\u00a0 Any change in routine increases the risk factor of forgetting about a child.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say Reuven is due at the babysitter no later than 7:50 am on weekday mornings.\u00a0 The babysitter should call you no later than 8 am if Reuven has not been dropped off yet.\u00a0 If the child has been left in the car, this layer can prevent a potential pediatric death by hyperthermia because of swift action.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be part of your daily habit,\u201d Dr. Diamond and Mrs. Rollins both stress. (Preventative \u2018stress\u2019 is good stress.)<\/p>\n Menachem Jacobowitz of New York and Michael Braunold of Raanana, Israel, have devoted nearly a decade to innovating and developing wellbeing products for the family through a company called Elepho<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Their combined talents are resulting in products that use technology for wellness and prevention.\u00a0 Elepho\u2019s eClip<\/strong><\/a> product is saving lives.<\/p>\n The eClip is attached to the baby, car seat or diaper bag and then is switched \u201con.\u201d Using simple Bluetooth technology that works with smart phones, it sounds an alarm when the parent has stepped away from the car and several seconds have elapsed. In addition, it has a thermometer which tells the adult the temperature in the back of the car. The on\/off switch is designed so a child cannot turn it off accidentally.<\/p>\n \u201cThe eClip is a great product and we have other plans in the works,\u201d Mr. Braunold shares from his home in Raanana. \u201cBecause we\u2019ve already developed the technology, we are speaking with car seat manufacturers. Perhaps there will be a time in the near future when car manufacturers will incorporate our technology.\u201d<\/p>\n I urge my fellow pediatricians and medical colleagues to discuss this topic with the interventions and solutions with all parents.<\/p>\n Spread the word. Educate yourselves. Change your habits for your children\u2019s sakes. Avail yourselves of the technology. As the Talmud tells us in Sanhedrin, \u201cTo save one life is to save an entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n As always, daven<\/em>.<\/p>\n For updated information on this subject, read Dr. Lightman’s other article here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Dr. Hylton I. Lightman<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is a senior statesman among pediatricians, an internationally-recognized authority and diagnostician, a public speaker, expert witness and go-to resource for health issues in the Orthodox Jewish community and beyond. Originally from South Africa, he started his current practice, Total Family Care of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, PC in 1987. Dr. Lightman is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). Dr. Lightman is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. In addition, he is actively involved in teaching pediatric and family nurse practitioners through Columbia University, Pace University, Lehmann College, and Molloy College, as well as mentoring physician assistants through Touro College. Read more\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week\u2019s tragedy in Lakewood was horrific. A nearly 2-year old beautiful girl was unintentionally left in the car and died from vehicular heat stroke. In other words, she was left in a locked car which rapidly heated up \u2013 and the outside temperature was only 69 degrees. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133543,"featured_media":61937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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