RELEASE: July 3, 2000

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Department of Human Services and Quick-Chek Food Stores
Partner to Urge Parents -- Not Even for a Minute.

As the temperature inside a car in a convenience store parking lot rose to 110 degrees within 10 minutes, New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner Michele K. Guhl urged parents and caregivers to never leave children unsupervised in automobiles -- not even for a minute.

Commissioner Guhl announced a partnership between DHS and Quick Chek Food Stores in launching a new phase of the statewide Not Even for a Minute public service campaign. The campaign was launched by Gov. Christie Whitman in 1998 to educate parents through posters and windshield decals about the many dangers – including dehydration, abduction, and injury – when children are left in automobiles. Dean Durling, CEO of Quick Chek, pledged to display the Not Even for a Minute posters in every one of the chain’s 103 stores.

"Summer heat, much like today’s, can quickly turn a car into a blast furnace. Under those conditions, vegetables start to wilt, candy melts, and dogs pant. Just imagine what happens to a child," Commissioner Guhl said.

To illustrate her point, the Commissioner placed a thermometer inside a closed car and watched the temperature rise to 110 degrees within 10 minutes.

The Commissioner said several recent incidents – including the recent tragic death of a 13-month old child allegedly left to nap in a car seat in a closed automobile -- underscores the need to educate parents on this issue.

"The Fourth of July marks the height of the summer season – a time for children to frolic in pools, run in fields, ride their bicycles…celebrate their independence," said Commissioner Guhl. "But it is also a time for parents to be vigilant about things far more serious to their children’s health than mosquito bites, sunburn or scraped knees."

She praised Quick Chek for helping spread the important message for parents.

"It would be nice if I could say that our customers can always run in and out of our stores in just a minute. But the truth is you never know when an unexpected delay at the cash register, or bumping into a neighbor, or simply browsing a little longer than you anticipated will keep you from returning as quickly as you would like," said Durling, chairman of the White House Station, NJ-based convenience store. Durling, who also serves as chairman of the National Association of Convenience Stores, said he hopes other retailers will join the campaign.

Dr. Martin Finkel, co-chair of the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, stressed the increased risk of leaving children alone in automobiles in the warmer months. "When the outside temperature is only in the 70's, a closed automobile can heat up to 125 degrees within 15 minutes and continue to climb to oven-like temperatures," he said. "Even with the windows cracked, a small child can dehydrate within minutes."

He added that there are year-round risks in leaving a child alone in an automobile. "In less than a minute, a child can climb out of a car seat and shift the car into gear. And it only takes a minute for someone to break into a vehicle and abduct a child," he said.

Through the campaign, posters and windshield decals have been distributed to parents statewide through childcare centers and schools and through AAA and the New Jersey Coalition of Automobile Retailers. Radio and print public services announcements from Governor Whitman have also been released to warn parents of the dangers of leaving children unattended in automobiles.

For more information on the campaign or to request posters or automobile decals, call the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect at (609) 292-0888.