Lankenau debuts 'Look Before You Lock' Program

This summer’s newscasts have been plagued with the same devastating scenario: a young child left in a hot car for minutes, hours, or days, often with fatal results. In an effort to help prevent child deaths like these, Lankenau Medical Center has teamed up with child safety organization KidsAndCars.org to educate new parents and caregivers about the dangers of absentmindedly leaving children alone in a car.

The ‘Look Before You Lock’ campaign kicked off in May 2014, and will continue through the end of August. As part of the program, all parents who deliver at Lankenau during the summer months will receive safety cards attached to stuffed animals, which have been generously donated by PetSmart. Intended to be placed in the passenger seat of a vehicle, each card issues a reminder to look in the back seat of the car before you lock it. The goal of each stuffed animal is to serve as a visual reminder for parents and other caregivers to practice safe care.

This is the first year that Lankenau has partnered with KidsAndCars.org for the ‘Look Before You Lock’ program. As of August 1, 2014, Lankenau has distributed more than 400 stuffed animals to new parents.