It’s a beautiful, sunny day and you just spent part of your day tossing tennis balls to your furry friend at the park. Heading home, you realize you need to pick up a few things from the supermarket; it should only take about five minutes. Sure, the sun is shining and it is about 80 degrees, but it will only be a few minutes, so there is no harm in leaving your friend in the car, right?
WRONG. You never leave your pet in a car on a warm day.
Every year, hundreds of pets die from heat exhaustion as a result of being left in parked cars on warm days. On a 75-degree day, the inside of a parked car can climb to 110 degrees in only minutes. In 20 minutes on a 90-degree day, the same car can get up to 130 degrees inside which is unsafe for humans and animals. You may think cracking the windows will help your pet, but the truth is that opened windows make very little difference to the inside temperature of your car.
Heatstroke is the main danger for pets in hot cars. Animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke in just 15 minutes. Beating the heat is extra tough for dogs because they can only cool themselves by panting. If they are stuck in a hot car, the cool air they receive is little to none and makes cooling down much harder.
Like most busy pet parents, you may be pressed for time and think that surely it’s okay to leave your pet for just a few minutes. The excuses: “Oh, it will just be a few minutes while I go into the store,” or “But I cracked the windows…” do not amount to much if your pet becomes seriously ill or dies from being left in a car.
If you love your furry friend as much as they love you, rethink leaving them in the car the next time you are out on a warm, sunny day.
Lace your sneakers. Check your watch. Stretch your legs. But before taking a lap around your block, check out our running safety tips:
June is National Safety Month and there is no better time to brush up on your summer safety skills than right now. Temperatures are rising and schools are closing their doors for the summer. So whether you are at home, on the road or at play, safety should always be your first priority.
Many communities across Middlesex County will be hosting events celebrating Earth Day. Stream and lake clean-ups, community shredding events, and tree planting are just some of the events happening this weekend.
Walking and biking are fun and healthy ways to get around when it’s done safely. KMM encourages 3rd graders across Middlesex County to walk or bike to school, to the park, and wherever you go!
Keeping our water, air, and land pollution-free is vital to everyday life. It’s our job to keep our Earth green! We must conserve as much energy as we can at home, at school, and in our day-to-day activities. For example, using the bus to get to school, riding a bike to the park, or carpooling with friends to a practice or game are all ways that we can help reduce pollution.
In 2017, KMM added a new Distracted Driving presentation for young drivers to our safety outreach program. The 45-minute interactive presentation, created by the Robert Wood Johnson Trauma & Injury Prevention Department, walks teens through sobering videos and interactive exercises that emphasize the life-threatening dangers of distracted driving. With assistance from the local Police Departments, more than 1400 students in Colonia, Woodbridge, John F. Kennedy High School in Iselin, Highland Park, South Amboy, and South River High Schools participated in this program.
River High School, a police officer shared how his father died after a young distracted driver side-swiped him as he helped a disabled vehicle on the Garden State Parkway. In Highland Park High School, a teacher recognized the smiling faces of a young couple in a prom photo. They were her neighbors’ children and they died in a car crash shortly after that picture was taken. With tears streaming down her face, she described the anguish of losing these young adults and the impact it had on the entire community.
East Brunswick joins over 40 towns across NJ, including Metuchen, Woodridge and Middlesex Borough, that have implemented Street Smart campaigns. This Spring, the Borough of Milltown will join the growing list of cities committed to pedestrian and driver safety. For more information, please contact Director of Operations at 