Hot car deaths, also known as vehicular heatstroke deaths, occur when children (or pets) are left unattended in a vehicle and suffer fatal heatstroke. These incidents are a leading cause of non-crash related fatalities for children, with a majority of cases resulting from caregivers unintentionally forgetting a child in the vehicle
- It takes 10 minutes for the internal temperature of a car to increase 20 degrees.
- Leaving a window open does not reduce the internal temperature of a vehicle.
- A child’s internal body temperature warms five times faster than an adult’s.
- Vehicular heatstroke kills one child every nine days in the United States.
- Nationally from 1998 to 2019, 849 children have died from vehicular heatstroke, 36 of these occurred in Arizona.
- 54% of children who died from vehicular heatstroke were under two years of age.
Causes of Hot Car Deaths:
- Forgotten by Caregiver:
In approximately 55% of cases, children are unintentionally left in the vehicle by their caregiver, often due to changes in routine or distractions.
- Children Gaining Access:
In about 25% of hot car deaths, children gain access to an unlocked vehicle and become trapped inside.
- Knowingly Left in Vehicle:
In some instances, caregivers knowingly leave children in the car, which is a significantly smaller percentage of cases.
Prevention:
- Create Visual Reminders: Place a personal item like a purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder to check for children before exiting the vehicle.
- Establish Routine: Develop a habit of checking the back seat every time the car is exited.
- Communicate with Childcare Providers: Establish a policy with childcare providers to notify you immediately if your child does not arrive as expected.
- Keep Vehicles Locked: Always lock vehicles, even when parked in a garage or driveway, to prevent children from gaining access.
- Teach Children: Educate children about the dangers of playing in vehicles and teach them how to honk the horn if they become trapped.
- Act Immediately: If you see a child alone in a vehicle, act immediately by calling 911.
Additional Information:
- Children’s bodies heat up much faster than adults’, making them more vulnerable to heatstroke.
- The temperature inside a car can rise rapidly, even on a mild day.
- Just 10 minutes can be enough for the temperature inside a car to become dangerously high, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Tips to help keep kids safe:
- Create a reminder to check the back seat.
- Put something you’ll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID or brief case, etc., in the back seat so that you have to open the back door to retrieve that item every time you park.
- Keep a large stuffed animal in the child’s car seat. When the child is placed in the car seat, put the stuffed animal in the front passenger seat. It’s a visual reminder that the child is in the back seat.
- Keep car keys and remote openers out of reach of children.
- Use technology
- Apps like WAZE have child reminders when you arrive at a destination you used a phone-based GPS to get to
- If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
