Oklahoma Nurses Association 2005 House of Delegates resolution. Dangers of leaving children unattended in and around motor vehicles.

There is an escalation in the number of fatalities and injuries to children left unattended in and around motor vehicles. Since 1996, more than 225 children, most of them age 3 and under, have died of heat stroke after being trapped inside a parked car. In Oklahoma, SAFE KIDS Coalition has worked to educate parents and the public about leaving children in cars especially when temperatures reach 70 degrees or higher. Currently 12 states have laws that prohibit leaving children unattended in automobiles, but those states do not include Oklahoma. In states where no specific law exists, state and local prosecutors have the discretion to criminally charge adults under existing child endangerment laws. At the 2005 ANA House of Delegates a resolution to adopted so that the American Nurses Association would work with other entities to bring this issue to the public's attention to reduce and prevent future injuries and harm to children.