EDITORIAL: Views from the nation's press

May 26—The Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Mass.) on how we can't let the heat turn our vehicles into death traps:

This Memorial Day Weekend, which marks the unofficial start of summer, it's important to be mindful of the dangers that also accompany this season.

Deaths of humans or pets trapped in a sweltering motor vehicle are totally inexcusable — and preventable — tragedies.

And since we've already experienced a taste of warm weather, it's not too soon to emphasize the possibility of this unfathomable reality.

We might associate car deaths with periods of extremely hot weather, but experts warn that they also can occur in relatively benign conditions.

According to AAA, it need not be sweltering outside for a hot-car death to happen. Though most car deaths occur when temperatures exceed 80 degrees, a child has died of heatstroke inside a car in 70- to 80-degree weather in each of the past 10 years.

Out of the 29 children who've perished in hot cars in the United States last year, six occurred when temperatures were below 80. An 11-month-old boy even died on a 59-degree day last April.

The interior of a car increases by 20 degrees in 10 minutes in 80-degree temperatures and will reach 109 degrees in just 20 minutes. On days when temperatures are much higher, it can reach 120-140 degrees inside a car, and cracking the windows does not have much effect.

Many of these deaths happen during the routine course of our everyday lives, unknowingly initiated by either a parent or someone entrusted with a child's care.

Twenty-one percent of deaths result when a caregiver knowingly leaves a child in the car to either run a quick errand or let the child finish a nap, and 29% of deaths related to children forgotten in vehicles involve a caregiver other than a parent.

To prevent hot-car deaths of children and pets, AAA has imparted the following tips:

—Stop and look at the backseat before leaving a parked vehicle. Make sure to check the entire vehicle before locking the doors and walking away. Put personal items like a purse or briefcase in the back seat as another reminder to look before you lock up.

—Make sure to keep car keys away from children and teach them that the inside of a car should never be a play area.

—Call 911 and take action if you see a child alone in a locked car. A child in distress should be removed as soon as possible.

In this digital world, we're constantly being overwhelmed with distractions.

But don't let outside forces lead your attention astray, especially from that precious cargo in the back seat.

Take steps to neutralize risk from sun's harmful rays

Another potential danger associated with summer involves your own personal well-being.

Since it's a time when we're usually more physically active, that means spending a lot more time outdoors.

That exposure puts your skin at cancer risk from the sun's harmful rays.

Too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light accounts for most skin cancers. Skin-damaging UV rays, an invisible kind of radiation, emanate primarily from the sun, but also from tanning beds and sunlamps.

UV rays can also affect you on cloudy and cool days, and can reflect off surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from mid-morning to late afternoon.

The UV index forecasts the strength of UV rays each day. If the UV index is 3 or higher in your area, protect your skin from exposure to the sun.

You can take several common-sense measures to limit sun exposure.

—Staying in the shade — under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter — is one obvious way to block the sun's impact.

—When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts, which can provide protection from UV rays. If wearing this type of clothing isn't practical, try to wear a T-shirt or a beach cover-up.

—A wet T-shirt offers much less UV protection than a dry one, and darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors. Look for clothing certified under international standards as offering UV protection.

—Hats, especially those with a brim all the way around, shade your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays.

—Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts. They also protect the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure. Those that block both UVA and UVB rays offer the best protection. Most sunglasses, regardless of cost, meet this standard.

—Sunscreen that filters out both UVA and UVB rays with an SPF of 15 or higher offers the best protection. Put a thick layer on all exposed skin. Sunscreen works best when combined with other options.

—The FDA recommends keeping infants out of the sun during midday and using protective clothing if they have to be in the sun.

We're not reinventing the wheel with these tips. They're just gentle preventative reminders that can pre-empt a visit to the dermatologist's office — or worse.