Cobb Toddler's Death in Hot Car Prompts Prevention Campaign Proposal

"PETA's parking meter stickers can save the most vulnerable among us: children and animals, who need all the protection they can get from summer heat exhaustion and fatalities," says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "People in Marietta—and across the country—can forget that you should never to leave a child or an animal in a parked car on hot or warm days, no matter how quick the errand, as distractions come up all the time and fatal mistakes can be made."

On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to well over 100 degrees in just minutes, even with the windows slightly open. When a child is left in a hot vehicle, his or her body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult's, and because dogs can cool themselves only by panting, they can succumb to heatstroke in just 15 minutes and can sustain brain damage or die as a result.

According to a San Francisco State University study, more than 600 children have died in hot cars since 1998, and PETA receives numerous reports every year about panicked animals who have died painfully inside cars during warm weather.

June 27, 2014

The Honorable Steve Tumlin

Mayor of Marietta

Via e-mail: stumlin@mariettaga.gov

Dear Mayor Tumlin:

I'm writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters, including thousands across Georgia, to ask you to join our efforts to prevent the deaths of children and animals in hot cars. The recent passing of 2-year-old Cooper Harris, who died because he was left in a car in 90-degree heat for hours, is a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving any child or animal alone in a vehicle. Many other children and dogs die every year when their guardians forget that they are in the car or leave them locked in a vehicle while they "run into the store for a minute." By posting our "Time Expired" parking meter decals on Marietta meters, we can help prevent such tragedies by providing drivers with a vital reminder that it takes only a few minutes for a child or animal to die of heatstroke.

Since 1998, there have been more than 600 documented cases of children dying in hot cars, and every year, PETA receives reports about panicked animals who have suffered and died in agony inside vehicles during warm weather. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to well over 100 degrees in just minutes, even with the windows slightly open. Children's bodies warm up three to five times faster than adults' bodies do, and dogs can cool themselves only by sweating through their paw pads and panting, so these vulnerable members of our families often succumb to heatstroke in just minutes, resulting in brain damage or death.

While the nation discusses this terrible case and the dangers posed by hot cars, we hope you will join our efforts to prevent others from enduring such a horrific ordeal. We have sponsored similar signs in California and would be happy to send you our decals to place on parking meters on busy streets and near shopping centers. These can help prevent motorists from making a heartbreaking fatal mistake while also encouraging passersby on the street to keep a vigilant eye out for individuals left inside unattended vehicles. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Allison Fandl

Special Projects Coordinator