A grandpa in Lakeland, Florida wants to put a stop to hot car deaths. His solution? An invention he calls the “Stop, Look, and Listen: Child Check” bracelet.
Scott Headley is a grandpa-of-five, and he says that his grandchildren inspired him to create the bracelets.
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The bracelets are meant to serve as a visual reminder to parents to make sure that there are no children in the car.
“You take the bracelet from the seat like I’ve done here,” he told ABC News. “And then the idea is that since you’re not used to seeing this and wearing this, the feel of it and looks of it will remind you, you have precious cargo on board.” Headley said.
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The bracelets are neon yellow with bright red lettering, which makes them eye-catching and less easy to ignore.
Headly is not alone in his mission: The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department, Safe Kids Florida Suncoast and private businesses in Lakeland have come together behind the inititive. Given that at least 43 children in the U.S. have died in hot cars so far this year alone, there is an urgency in making changes.
“Every year too many kids die of heatstroke because they were left inside a car — often by accident,: Grady Judd, the Polk County Sherrif, said. “Our message is simple: Check your back seat: ‘stop, look, and listen.’ Let’s keep our kids safe!”
Headley’s Stop, Look, and Listen: Child Check bracelets are available since October 4, although only to Lakeland locals who attended the First Friday event. $10 t-shirts were also for sale, with the proceeds benefitting those in need of car seats.