With temperatures still heading for the low 30s Ambulance Victoria has revealed there were 24 cases of people locked in cars throughout Geelong in the last five months.
Ambulance Victoria says it estimates that two thirds of calls to people locked in a vehicle are for children under the age of 13.
Paramedics were called to an alarming 620 cases of people locked in cars across Victoria in the five between September 2013 and January 2014.
Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development Wendy Lovell said with a forecast of 33 for Geelong for tomorrow there was no room for complacency.
“A car’s temperature starts to rise from the moment the door is closed and can be double the outside temperature in minutes,” Ms Lovell said.
“This means that even when it’s 30 degrees outside, your child could be sweltering in up to 60 degree heat.
“It is not worth the risk – if you are travelling with a child and you need to get out of the car, even for just one minute, make sure you take your child with you. No exceptions. No excuses.”
The warnings follows research conducted by the Victorian Coalition Government on parents leaving children alone in parked cars that showed one in three parents admit to doing it.
The No Exceptions, No Excuses campaign was launched by the Victorian Coalition Government in partnership with Kidsafe Victoria to increase parents awareness of the dangers of leaving children in parked cars.
