KIDS ‘N CARS™
A car is not a toy
Fact Sheet
What is KIDS ‘N CARS™?
KIDS 'N CARS™ is a project of the Trauma Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit agency, based at San Francisco General Hospital. Our mission is to pursue a greater level of public safety by addressing vehicle related non-traffic incidents that lead to death and injury when children are left unattended in or around a vehicle.
Who Are the People Behind KIDS ‘N CARS™?
Janette and Greig Fennell with Michele and Terrill Struttmann founded KIDS ‘N CARS™. Janette and Greig Fennell brought their experience of survivor advocacy for injury control and partnered with the Struttmann’s to assist them in channeling their grief after the preventable death of their son, Harrison.
In May 1998, Michele had brought their two-and-a-half-year-old son, Harrison, to his favorite park to watch boats on the river. At the other end of the park, two children (ages two and three) were left alone in a van with the motor running and somehow knocked the gear lever into drive. The van jumped a curb stop, and raced through the park. Michele and Harrison were sitting on a park bench with their backs towards the parking lot. The van hit them with virtually no warning. Harrison flew in the air and landed on a rock embankment, while Michele was dragged underneath the van until it hit a boat being pulled out of the Missouri river. Harrison died at a hospital later that evening and Michele, after 13 surgeries, continues to struggle and recover from her injuries. The Struttmann’s lives were shattered forever in a matter of seconds.
In 1995, the Fennells were kidnapped at gunpoint, stuffed in the trunk of their car,
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and driven to a secluded location where they were robbed and assaulted. They were fortunate; they managed to escape. Since the abduction, their organization Trunk Releases Urgently Needed Coalition (TRUNC) has gone on to conduct extensive research on how often people are locked alive inside the trunk of vehicles. The work of the TRUNC organization has been featured in national and regional media including Oprah, Dateline NBC, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, American Journal, NBC News, Court TV, CNN and in Redbook, Time, People Magazine, Readers Digest, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, other national and regional newspapers, and more. As of September 2001, it is mandated that all automakers install a trunk release.
All of the work conducted by KIDS ‘N CARS™ is done in the loving memory of children who lost their life because they were left alone in or around a vehicle, while trying to prevent this from happening to any more children. The KIDS ‘N CARS™ organization is dedicated to the memory of a little angel named Harrison Struttmann.
Why Care About KIDS ‘N CARS™?
So far in 2002, KIDS ‘N CARS™ has documented 93 incidents of children being left unattended in or around vehicles. Of these 93 incidents, 21 resulted in the death of a child. In 2001, we have uncovered 357 incidents involving 473 victims and 97 deaths. Of the 97 deaths, 34 children died of hyperthermia (heat stroke) because they were left inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle. In 2000, we have documented 296 incidents involving 382 victims and 74 deaths. People leave children unattended in or around vehicles more frequently than you think. More than one thousand eight hundred
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cases that involved injury or death have been documented so far. Those injuries and deaths were caused by: heat stroke, a vehicle being put in motion by a child, children being hit by vehicles backing up, children choking while alone in a car, being kidnapped, carbon monoxide poisoning, children leaving the vehicle, activation of automatic power controls, fire started by a child, and being trapped in car trunks. This provides a lower boundary of the number of people who have been affected by these preventable situations and only a fraction of the total number of incidents.
What Legislation Is Pending?
After the Struttmann’s devastating ordeal they realized that in the state of Missouri it is NOT illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle. Many states already have laws making it illegal to leave an animal unattended in a vehicle, but not a child. The Struttmann’s then successfully lobbied to pass a law in their home state of Missouri that calls for a person to be prosecuted if they knowingly leave a child under the age of 10 unattended in a vehicle. On May 12, 2000 a bill passed the Missouri legislature making it a felony if a person is killed as a result of someone leaving a child in a car. The bill went into effect on August 28, 2000. To date, only ten states have laws on the books regarding the specific issue of leaving children unattended in a vehicle. June 1, 2002 Illinois HB28 takes effect and it will be the eleventh state.
Other states that have laws include: (California (new in 2002), Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Washington) but they vary. Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Tennessee have proposed legislation. KIDS ‘N CARS™ will work with policy makers to raise their level of awareness regarding vehicle related non-traffic
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incidents and assist them in publishing model legislation and regulation. KIDS ‘N CARS™ will work with states to help enact strict laws regarding children being left unattended in or around vehicles.
How Can Individuals Help?
KIDS ‘N CARS™ is constantly in need of individuals who can donate either time or money to help further this cause. Below are ways you can help with our endeavor.
- Sending information and newspaper stories about incidents that have occurred when children were left unattended in or around vehicles to help build KIDS ‘N CARS™ database.
2. Leave a “Not Even for a Minute” sheet on the windshield of any vehicle where children have been left unattended. (See website for printable flyer) Stay with the children if you can. If you fear the children are in eminent danger, or if the caregiver does not return within 5 minutes, call 911.
- Locate people who have been involved in situations where children were left unattended in or around vehicles so they can and share their experiences with others through and with the KIDS ‘N CARS™ organization.
- Write to local and state legislators about this important safety issue.
- Publish articles about the dangers of leaving children unattended in or around vehicles in organization, religious, or school newsletters.
- Never leave your vehicle unlocked or let your children play in or around any vehicle(s).
- Do not leave your car keys within reach of children.
- Never leave children alone in a vehicle to run a quick errand.
- Donate monies to the KIDS ‘N CARS™ nonprofit organization. All donations are 100% tax deductible*.
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For more information, contact:
Janette E. Fennell Terrill & Michele Struttmann
Co-Founder Co-Founder’s
KIDS ‘N CARS™ KIDS ‘N CARS™
Trauma Foundation 918 Glenn Avenue
San Francisco General Hospital Washington, MO 63090
1001 Potrero Street, Building 1 Room 300 Phone: (636) 390-8268
San Francisco, CA 94110 FAX: (636) 390-9412
Phone: (415) 789-1000 E-Mail:
FAX: (415) 789-9424
E-Mail:
Website: http://www.kidsncars.org
*KIDS ‘N CARS™ is a project of the Trauma Foundation, as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit agency, based at San Francisco General Hospital
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“NOT EVEN FOR A MINUTE”
PROTECT CHILDREN FROM
BEING INJURED IN OR AROUND A VEHICLE
Fact Sheet
KIDS ‘N CARS™ is a project of the Trauma Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit agency, based at San Francisco General Hospital whose mission is to pursue a greater level of public safety by making sure people understand you cannot leave children unattended in or around vehicles. The Struttmann’s, who lost their child because other parents left their children unattended in a van with the motor running, strongly urge individuals to educate themselves and others about the dangers of leaving children unattended in or around vehicles.
Personal Responsibility
People leave children unattended in vehicles more often than is widely publicized, and the results are often deadly. KIDS ‘N CARS’™ database, the only one of its kind, includes more than one thousand six hundred cases where children were left unattended in or around vehicles. For protection before an emergency, KIDS ‘N CARS™ advocates that individuals NEVER leave children alone in a car and NEVER allow children to play in or around vehicles.
Many caring and responsible parents have left their children alone in car, not realizing the risks involved. Some parents think it is okay to a child alone in car while they run to an ATM, quickly drop off dry cleaning or while dripping off another child at school. The results of leaving a child alone in or around a vehicle can be deadly. KIDS ‘N CARS™ urges parents to NEVER leave children unattended in or around an automobile, “Not even for a minute.”
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A minute can be all it takes for a child to become ill from heat or car fumes. A minute can be all it takes for someone to break into a vehicle and abduct a child. And a minute can be all it takes for a child to climb out of a car seat and shift the car into gear.
Keeping Children Safe
Anyone can become a victim of these preventable deaths and injuries, but children are especially at risk. In 2001, 34 children died of hyperthermia (heat stroke) because they were left inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle. There were a total of 97 children that died in 2001 as a result of being left unattended in or around a vehicle. In 2000, 29 children died of hyperthermia and a total of 74 children died because they were left unattended in or around a vehicle. To save children from these preventable deaths and injuries it takes both education and parental (caregiver) diligence.
· Never leave children alone or unsupervised in or around vehicles – “Not even for a minute.” Car trunks become a tempting, secret place to hide, and a quick and easy place for abductors to make children disappear.
· Never leave car keys where children can get them.
· Always lock vehicles so children cannot get into a car unsupervised. Unlocked vehicles pose serious risks to children who are naturally curious and often lack fear. Keep the doors and trunk of vehicles locked when parked in the garage, driveway, or near home.
· A child left unattended in or around vehicles is like handing them a loaded gun. Vehicles are two tons of steel that can be VERY dangerous.
· Arm children with facts. Teach children about the dangers of a car. A car is NOT a toy.
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Support the Need to Pass Stricter Laws
You can create awareness of the frequency and circumstances of vehicle related non-traffic injuries and deaths by:
· Helping build the KIDS ‘N CARS™ database. The first of its kind, KIDS ‘N CARS™ tracks cases of children left unattended in or around vehicles, with more than one thousand nine hundred victims documented to date. Individuals can help build the database by providing information on cases found via the Internet, newspapers, Emergency room data and reports, trauma physicians, magazine articles, and handwritten or documented oral stories.
· Writing to local and state legislators about the importance of this vital, life-saving safety issue.
· Talking to friends, relatives, co-workers and colleagues at professional meetings, religious gatherings, schools and clubs about the KIDS ‘N CARS™ cause.
· Publishing articles about the dangers of leaving children unattended in or around vehicles in organization, religious, or school newsletters.
· Contributing to KIDS ‘N CARS™ to help defray expenses or donating time to assist in the effort. All donations are 100% tax deductible. *
· This takes work in homes, schools, and local communities nationwide; as well as government support.
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For more information contact:
Janette E. Fennell Terrill & Michele Struttmann
Co-Founder Co-Founder’s
KIDS ‘N CARS™ KIDS ‘N CARS™
Trauma Foundation 918 Glenn Avenue
San Francisco General Hospital Washington, MO 63090
1001 Potrero Street, Building 1 Room 300 Phone: (636) 390-8268
San Francisco, CA 94110 FAX: (636) 390-9412
Phone: (415) 789-1000 E-Mail:
FAX: (415) 789-9424
E-Mail:
Website: http://www.kidsncars.org
*KIDS ‘N CARS™ is a project of the Trauma Foundation, as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit agency, based at San Francisco General Hospital.
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BEING SMART AND STAYING SAFE
Fact Sheet
· Would you leave $1 million in your car?
· Would you let your child play with a loaded gun?
Of course not. But did you know that automobiles could be just as risky and lethal? It is very important to increase your awareness and take ownership for the safety of children.
This can happen to any child, anywhere, at any time.
AWARENESS AND PLANNING ARE THE KEYS