Heat safety advisory from GEICO

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Do not leave children or pets unattended in vehicles

TUCSON, Ariz., May 27, 2010 – Arizona's legendary hot weather has already started and the dangers of leaving a child in an unattended vehicle rise with the temperatures.

"In our extreme conditions, a child's body temperature increases three to five times faster than that of an adult," said Martha Furnas, GEICO vice president. "GEICO advises everyone to never leave a child alone in a vehicle, under any circumstances."

Furnas noted that pets also require the same protection from hot weather conditions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reminds parents that even cool temperatures in the 60s can cause the temperature to rise well above 110 degrees inside your car. The inside temperature can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes.

NHTSA and GEICO offer the following safety tips:

  • NEVER leave a child or animal unattended in a car, even with the windows down
  • Make a habit of looking in the vehicle before walking away
  • If you are dropping your child off at childcare and normally it's someone else who drops them off, have that person call you to make sure everything went according to plan
  • Ask your childcare provider to call you if your child does not show up for childcare
  • Do things to remind yourself that a child is in the vehicle, such as:
  1. Writing yourself a note and putting the note where you will see it when you leave the vehicle
  2. Placing something you need in the back seat
  3. Keep an object in the car seat, such as a stuffed toy; when the child is buckled in, place the object where the driver will notice it when he or she is leaving the vehicle
  • Always lock vehicle doors and keep keys out of children's reach; if a child is missing, check the vehicle first, including the trunk
  • 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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