Heat safety advisory from GEICO

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Do not leave children or pets unattended in vehicles

TUCSON, Ariz. June 10, 2008 - With temperatures expected to be in the triple digits for the next few weeks, now is the time to be mindful of the hazardous risks to children and pets left in unattended vehicles.

"Leaving a child alone in a vehicle is never a good idea," said Martha Furnas, GEICO assistant vice president.

"Even if it's just for a few moments while running errands, it's enormously dangerous. And in our extreme hot conditions, a child's body temperature increases three to five times faster than that of an adult. The child could build up heat so rapidly that he or she could suffer from heat stroke in just minutes."

Furnas added, "Leaving children unattended could lead to other dangerous situations, such as a child wandering off, getting lost, attempting to drive or even being kidnapped. We want to remind all parents and caretakers about these dangers."

Furnas noted that pets also require the same protection from extremely hot weather conditions that develop very quickly in parked cars.

GEICO offers the following safety tips:

  • Never leave a child or animal unattended in a car, even with the windows down. On a typical sunny, summer day, the temperature inside a car can reach potentially deadly levels within minutes.

  • Before buckling children in the car, check to make sure seating surfaces and car seat and seat belt buckles aren't overly hot as they could burn a child's sensitive skin.

  • If your child gets locked inside a car, dial 911.

  • If you see a child or animal unattended in a car, be an active participant and call 911.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States.* GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for 11 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 17.5 million vehicles.

In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motor homes (RVs). Coverage for life, boats, homes and apartments is available through the GEICO Insurance Agency. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.

As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.

*A.M. Best

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