MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $195,788 grant to raise awareness about the deadly risks of leaving children unattended in vehicles.
The grant will enable The Children’s Hospital of Alabama to conduct a statewide educational campaign advising drivers to always check their vehicle for child passengers when exiting because temperatures in a vehicle can quickly rise to dangerous levels for children.
“Children are our most precious resource,” Gov. Ivey said. “Leaving a child alone in a closed vehicle for just a few minutes or longer can result in their death followed by a lifetime of grief for their survivors. This is a message that cannot be repeated enough.”
Children’s Hospital of Alabama will conduct a statewide campaign, with an emphasis in rural communities, to warn drivers that heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash motor vehicle related deaths of children in the United States.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the award.
“ADECA is pleased to join with Gov. Ivey, The Children’s Hospital of Alabama and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in ensuring this important message is brought to the attention of parents, grandparents, day-care and school bus drivers and anyone who transports children,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
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Media Contacts
Jim Plott or Mike Presley
ADECA Communications and External Affairs
(334) 242-5525
