Paramedics were called out almost once a week, on average, to rescue children abandoned in hot cars last year in Brimbank.
And almost a quarter of these incidents happened in Sunshine. The suburb had the most call-outs in Brimbank and the 12th highest number of call-outs statewide, along with Carrum Downs.
New Ambulance Victoria figures show paramedics had been called upon 1562 times to rescue children who had been left in cars across the state, with four in every five calls made involving a toddler.
On 15 occasions, paramedics were required to rush the child to hospital.
Paramedics were called to St Albans 10 times, Derrimut and Taylors Lakes five times, Hillside and Taylors Hill four times, Braybrook, Caroline Springs, Deer Park and Sunshine North three times, Cairnlea and Ravenhall twice and Albanvale, Burnside, Calder Park and Delahey once.
State health commander Paul Holman said the figures reveal people still aren’t getting the message about not leaving children in hot cars.
“It is never OK to leave a child in a car … even if you’re just ducking into the shops,” Mr Holman said. “You might get distracted or bump into someone you know, and time can tick away much quicker than you realise.
“Given how much education there is about the dangers of leaving children in cars, it is disappointing that some people still decide to take that risk.”
He said some children had been left by accident, while it seemed others were deliberately left behind.
Families and children minister Jenny Mikakos was at Sunshine shopping centre on February 2 to remind parents how easy it was to underestimate the time it can take to run a quick errand.
Ambulance Victoria testing has shown that on a 29-degree day, the interior of a car can reach 44 degrees within 10 minutes, and 60 degrees within 20 minutes.
It is against the law in Victoria to leave children unattended in a parked car. If found guilty, parents or carers face fines of up to $3700 or six months in jail, or both.
