Abu Dhabi Police have alerted the public regarding the dangers of leaving their children in hot vehicles during the summer season.
Police posted a video clip on their social media handles that showed an individual leaving his sleeping child behind in the car while he went inside a shopping mall.
Police officials stated that it was a crime to leave children alone in vehicles in any situation.
Abu Dhabi Police stated that children might unintentionally move the car, tamper with its transmission or cause an accident.
Furthermore, this will lead to insufficiency of oxygen and a rise in temperatures inside the vehicle, resulting in death.
Thieves can also take benefit of the situation or rob the car.
Parents who risk their children’s lives by leaving them in a locked vehicle can face a fine of Dh1 million ($272,295) along with imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Police stated parents must not leave their kids unattended inside cars, not even for a few minutes. The force said that parents play an essential role in safeguarding children from danger.
Experts say that the heat from the sun stays trapped inside cars.
A study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine reveals the temperature inside a parked vehicle can rapidly reach life-threatening levels, even on a cooler day.
The temperature in the car can reach 47ºC if it is parked for over an hour in direct sunlight and it is at least 35ºC outside.
Dubai Police data reveals that 53 children were left alone in cars in 2020, and around four cases were reported every month.
During the initial seven months of 2021, 39 children were rescued after they were in locked cars.
In Sharjah, in 2019, a 2-year-old boy was left alone in the vehicle by his father and later required medical assistance after suffering serious heatstroke.