By BRIDGET COOK
THE message of the dangers of leaving kids in hot cars is not getting through to Casey residents, with more than 40 cases reported in the area in five months.
The figures have prompted a warning from Ambulance Victoria to not be complacent as temperatures are set to rise again over the coming weeks.
In the five months from September 2013 to January 2014, paramedics were called to 42 cases of people locked in cars in Casey.
The figure appears to be the highest number of cases for a municipality in the state.
The most calls came from Narre Warren with 11 reports and Cranbourne was second with 9.
Seven calls came from Berwick, four from Hampton Park and three from Lynbrook.
During the February heatwave, the News had calls from two local residents who saved children who were left unattended in a car on a hot day.
Although summer is over, Ambulance Victoria group manager Brett Drummond has warned people not to be complacent, with a few low 30 temperatures predicted in the coming week.
“It doesn’t have to be a scorching hot day for the car to quickly heat up,” he said.
“Tests by Ambulance Victoria found that even on a 29-degree day, the inside of a car can reach 44 degrees within 10 minutes and hit 60 degrees within 20 minutes.
“There’s been a lot of media coverage and advertising over summer warning about the dangers of leaving children in cars, so it’s disappointing that we’ve had more than 600 calls to people locked in a car in the last five months.
“Tragically, there have been cases of children dying in hot cars in Victoria in recent years and it’s not worth risking leaving your children in a car.”
Mr Drummond said accidents where keys were locked in the car with a child were common, while other cases were 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 that’s not worth taking,” he said.
“It’s also common for keys to be accidentally locked in the car with the child.
“We urge parents to be mindful and keep the keys in their hand while they are getting children and shopping in and out of the car.”
