West Hartford Police are reminding residents of the law, as well as the danger of leaving young children and other vulnerable people, as well as animals, unattended in the car in hot weather.

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Submitted by West Hartford Police Department

As warmer temperatures arrive, the West Hartford Police Department is reminding parents and caregivers to pay attention to their smallest passengers.

It is never appropriate to leave young children, vulnerable adults or pets unattended in a car. In warmer weather, hot temperatures can be fatal.

Warm temperatures outside a vehicle can lead to extreme temperatures inside. A child, vulnerable adult or pet can suffer from potentially fatal or debilitating heat stroke within minutes.

In Connecticut, it is a Class A Misdemeanor (see law below) to leave a child under 12 unattended in a vehicle. Temperatures inside a car during the summer have the potential to rise up to 200 degrees. A child’s body is not as efficient as an adult’s, and a child’s core body temperature can rise three to five times faster than that of an adult with a greater potential for heat stroke.

As summer schedules bring change and infants and toddlers regularly nap in their car seats, drivers sometimes forget their quiet little ones are in the back seat. Drivers carrying precious cargo should create a back-up system to remind them to check for sleeping tiny passengers such as a ribbon on a dash or leaving their purse or other item on the back seat to ensure they “look before they lock.”

Anyone who sees a young child or vulnerable adult left unattended in a vehicle during these warmer summer temperatures should contact emergency personnel immediately. You could save a life.

Sec. 53-21a. Leaving child unsupervised in place of public accommodation or motor vehicle.

Sec. 53-21a. Leaving child unsupervised in place of public accommodation or motor vehicle. (a) Any parent, guardian or person having custody or control, or providing supervision, of any child under the age of twelve years who knowingly leaves such child unsupervised in a place of public accommodation or a motor vehicle for a period of time that presents a substantial risk to the child’s health or safety, shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

(b) Any parent, guardian or person having custody or control, or providing supervision, of any child under the age of twelve years who knowingly leaves such child unsupervised in a place of public accommodation, which holds a permit issued under chapter 545 for the sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises, for a period of time that presents a substantial risk to the child’s health or safety, shall be guilty of a class D felony.

(c) Any parent, guardian or person having custody or control, or providing supervision, of any child under the age of twelve years who knowingly leaves such child unsupervised in a place of public accommodation or a motor vehicle between the hours of eight o’clock p.m. and six o’clock a.m. for a period of time that presents a substantial risk to the child’s health or safety, shall be guilty of a class C felony.