Keep Your Left Shoes Next to the Child Car Seat
Leaving a child in a hot car accidentally is a tragic mistake that anyone can make . Blame our faulty brains, among other things. (And if you haven’t read Gene Weingarten’s 2009 Washington Post article on hot car fatalities, do it masterfully.) Ways to end the devastating statistic that an average of 37 children die in hot cars every year without any judgment.
We see a new set of technical solutions to address this problem. Nissan has just announced a warning system that will remind drivers to check for backseat passengers. GMC and Hyundai have also developed child reminder features. There are devices and apps, as well as car seats with built-in sensors, to help keep children safe.
There is also a free prophylactic tactic. This idea has been around on social media for several years, and although it is sometimes ridiculed, I think it makes sense, so I share it. After strapping your child to the car seat, remove your left shoes and keep them in the back seat while driving. The idea is that you won’t go far without shoes, which means you will always remember your child. (And no, you’re not saying that your shoes are more important than your child – it’s just a mental thing.)
You may feel a little silly doing this, but it can prevent the unthinkable.