How to Avoid Car Trunk Entrapment Dangers

Problem:
Children love to explore and hide.  Their innocent play can be deadly if the child gains access to the trunk of a car.   

Prevention Tips for Avoiding Trunk Entrapment Accidents:
• Make sure that children know not to play in and around vehicles, especially the trunk of car 
• Always keep a watchful eye on your children when playing near vehicles 
• If your child goes missing, always remember to immediately check the trunk of your vehicle(s)
• When the vehicle is not in use, lock the doors and trunk, and ensure that the keys are out of reach of your children  
• If your vehicle has rear fold-down seats, keep them up and/or locked at all times

Update Your Car’s trunk:
•Auto manufacturers were required to build all vehicles after September 1, 2001, with a glow in the dark trunk release.
•Make sure that you children know this is available if they were to get accidentally locked in the vehicle.  
•If your vehicle was built prior to September, 2001, an automobile dealership may be able to install a trunk release latch for you. 

What you need to know about trunk entrapment:
• Cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures up to 131-172 degrees when outside temperatures are 80 degrees . Cars that are parked in direct sunlight and that are poorly ventilated also reach higher temperatures more rapidly than cars that are parked in the shade or that have windows completely opened. Most temperature increases inside cars occur during the first 15 minutes of being left in the sun. In at least two incidents during the summer of 1998, deaths occurred in dark cars, and the dark color probably contributed to the intense heat in the trunks.  Trunk entrapment is extremely dangerous.