Kidsincars.org

Some of you who know me, know that my nephew, Riley, died in a hot car on September 6th, 2005....just 17 days before my own son was born.

On my way to work every morning, I pass a building near downtown that has the hugest letters on the side..."Riley's".
while I was at my "Riley-spot" this morning, I looked around...as usual. In front of me, on the back bumper of an 18 wheeler, was a message about www.kidsincars.org.

So, of course, my brain says, "It's a sign!" I mean, to my right is Riley's name on the side of a building, & right in front of me is this message for a website...
So, I checked it out today.

Statistics:
Year Incidents Kids Involved Fatalities
2007 42 51 3
2006 550 721 126
2005 449 534 154
2004 443 560 120
2003 583 727 143
2002 432 591 116

(as of 1/31/07)
I can't seem to get the spacing right on that...so let me break it down.
Column 1, year.
Column 2, # of reported incidents
Column 3, # of kids involved
Column 4, # of fatalities.
For 2005, there were 449 incidents. Riley's was one of those.
For 2005, there were 154 fatalities, and Riley was one of them.

I can seriously say that not a single day goes by that I don't think about him.
When my child is happy or laughing or I'm having fun with Gage...I sometimes think about Riley. I think "what ifs"...which I know is such a trap...not a fun rut to get yourself into...but I think, "what if this was the last time I heard Gage's laugh?", "What if he never smiled again?" So...anyway. It's completely morbid to think that way I guess...but it happens.

Anyway...this website.
It tells various stories about children who have been injured or killed by various dangers related to the combination of kids & cars.
The creators of the website lost their son, Harrison, when another family left their 2 children in a van, and the kids accidentally switched the van into gear, and ran over Harrison & his mom. Harrison died, but his mom survived.
Other children were hurt when they accidentally rolled up windows, or were left in hot cars...

So...for those who haven't been exposed to all the dangers of kids & cars, I suggest you check out the website. The following are some of the safety tips from the website.
Accidents can happen right in your own garage or driveway. Kids in Cars offers parents the following tips to help prevent accidents in or around vehicles.

Keep vehicles locked at all times -- even in the garage or driveway.
Never leave keys within the reach of children.
Teach children to never play in or around vehicles.
Consider installing cross-view mirrors and/or a backup detection device on your vehicle.
Make sure all young passengers have left your car after it is parked.
When a child is missing, check vehicles and trunks immediately.
If a child is locked inside a vehicle, get them out as quickly as possible. If they are hot or appear sick, call 911 or your local emergency number. Kids in Cars is a Missouri-based, national, non-profit organization dedicated to preventing injuries and deaths that occur due to children being left unattended in or around motor vehicles. Kids in Cars has embarked on a mission to pursue preventative legislation in all 50 states to make sure that no child is ever, not even for a minute, left alone in or around a motor vehicle. For more information on Kids in Cars, to donate or volunteer please visit www.kidsincars.org.