This is a time of year when many accidents happen and often they involve children. The link below is to an article discussing an apparently growing phenomenon of children dying after they are left or lock themselves in hot cars. Certainly worth a read.
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/children-dying-in-hot-cars/
I read an article awhile ago that reported the story of a couple whose adopted two year old son died after his mother accidentally left him in the car when she went to work one morning... She explained that the entire family had been battling a stomach virus, she was sleep deprived and did not typically take her children to daycare in the morning. At the last minute before she went to work, she and her husband decided their youngest boy was well enough to go to daycare. In his carseat in the back of her car, the child was too short to be seen in her rearview mirror and fell asleep during the drive. She drove herself to work that morning, and went inside - just as she did every day. By the time she realized her son had been left in the car, it was too late. Clearly, this could happen to any of us.
The article suggests putting a purse or briefcase in the backseat of your car so you would see a sleeping child in a carseat. It also suggests keeping a stuffed animal in the carseat and putting it next to you in the front seat if a child is in the car with you so you'll remember they are there. The best advice is: make a habit out of checking your backseat before you walk into work, and always lock your doors when your car is parked in the driveway, etc. so that a child cannot lock himself in.
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