EVERY now and then, we read reports of children dying after being left in parked vehicles by a parent.
We are, of course, horrified and angered. We find ourselves taking it out on the parent for being irresponsible and negligent. Such emotions are a natural response to a needless loss of life, especially when it involves those of such tender age.
That is exactly what happened recently when 4-year-old Aina Batrisha Aisyah Shaiful Azrul died of heatstroke, having been accidentally left in a parked car in Kedah.
The girl's family has been vilified on social media, so much so that a member of the family has come out to plead for a stop, saying that her father had suffered enough.
According to experts, there are three types of peoplewho leave children in cars: those who truly forget that the children are there; those who are uneducated about the dangers of doing so; and, those who commit criminally negligent and intentional filicide.
As Aina's case is still under investigation, we shall not comment on which category it falls under. What we do know is that there are steps that can be taken to ensure that such deaths do not recur.
Stress can play a deadly role in such tragedies. In an era where both parents are usually required to work long hours, stress can lead to a person being forgetful as having too many things on one's mind can lead to important things being left by the wayside.
All you need as proof of this is to look at the times you may have forgotten where you put your car or house keys, or had misplaced something else of importance. How many of us have even absent-mindedly looked for things like sunglasses, forgetting that they are on top of our heads?
Society also can play an important role in preventing these needless deaths. Be observant; look around you when you are walking and you could possibly end up saving a child's life.
There should also be more awareness campaigns and efforts to educate parents on various issues, such as the dangers of leaving children in parked vehicles as well as the need to be fully aware of their children's whereabouts.
Then there is technology. We live in a technologically-advanced world that seems to be growing more intelligent with each passing day.
There are now mobile phones and apps that have improved child safety by sending reminders to parents of their children's whereabouts. This can be used by parents to remind them that their children are in their vehicles. In fact, with all the smart technology being put into vehicles these days, manufacturers can include such features in their vehicles.
There are now car alarm systems which are triggered by motion sensors inside vehicles once armed. It is onlyahop, skip and a jump from that to systems which can send alerts to smartphones as well.
Most importantly, however, parents can do their part by just making a habit of taking a look around their vehicles to ensure nothing important — children included — is left in the car when they exit. Just this one simple step can solve this particular problem.