Campaign focuses on kids left in hot cars

Flyers are being distributed in Florida's Palm Beach County with tips on how to ensure a child is never left alone in a car, child safety advocates said. The effort is part of a nationwide program that aims to eliminate child heat-stroke deaths in vehicles by 2013.The Safe Kids USA campaign, launched with the support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will tour a number of states including Florida to encourage strategies to keep children from being left in hot vehicles, The Palm Beach Post reported Thursday. The flyers feature tips such as having a teddy bear in a car seat when a child is not riding in the car, and placing the stuffed animal on the front passenger seat as a reminder when the child is in the back seat.Across the country, 23 children have died so far this year because they were left in overheated vehicles, data gathered by San Francisco State University shows. "Our efforts are ongoing and we are doing everything we can to send the message everywhere and let parents know this can happen to anyone," said Kelly Powell, head of the Palm Beach County Safe Kids USA coalition. "We are all human, we are all on overdrive and it's something that can happen. No one is protected from these injuries."