Despite Ambulance Victoria’s wide-reaching awareness campaign about the dangers of leaving children unattended in cars throughout summer, paramedics were called to 620 cases of people in Victoria being locked in cars between September 1 last year and January 31.
More than 65 per cent of the callouts were about children under the age of 13. Paramedics were called out to 25 cases in Hume and 21 in Whittlesea. Suburbs with most incidents included Sunbury (seven callouts), Epping (eight) and Craigieburn (five).
Ambulance Victoria group manager Brett Drummond said that while there were cases where drivers had accidentally left their keys in the car with a child, there were also some deliberate acts.
“Some people think they can just duck into the shop and leave their child, but there’s a risk they will be delayed and it’s a risk not worth taking.”
A Kidsafe Victoria spokeswoman urged people to always take their children with them when leaving the car, even if only for a minute.
LC
