About 40 children die in hot cars in the United States every year. A condition known as vehicular heatstroke occurs either because the children were left alone or had become trapped in a car. This post briefly discusses why and how these terrible tragedies happen. It offers 12 ways caregivers can ensure young children are never left in vehicles by mistake.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a child dies in a hot car approximately every ten days. Most hot car deaths — 53% — happen when a parent or caregiver forgets the child is in the car.
How does this happen?
We may ask how someone could forget their child and leave them in the vehicle. People who lost a loved one thought the same thing at one point, but then the tragedy happened to them.
Newspaper reports reveal that in many cases, an otherwise loving and attentive parent becomes busy, distracted, upset, or confused by a change in their daily routine or stressful life events. These things may cause them to forget their child is in the back seat.
It could happen to anyone.
Have you ever lost your keys or phone, or walked into a room and forgotten why you went there? These things are lapses in short-term memory. Tragically in some cases, the one thing a person was supposed to remember was dropping off their child at daycare. The consequence of such a memory lapse may be their child’s death.
Prospective Memory and the part it plays in hot car death
Memory expert Dr. David Diamond has served as an expert witness in more than 400 hot car death cases and conducted extensive research on the phenomenon. One of his fields of expertise is in researching how normal parents and caretakers unknowingly and unintentionally leave children in cars without evidence of abuse or neglect of children, drug misuse or organic brain dysfunction.
Dr. Diamond has developed a hypothesis to explain how normal parents and caretakers can forget their children in cars:
The driver loses awareness of the child in the car.
The driver shows a failure of the brain’s “prospective memory” system. Prospective memory is the ability to remember to carry out intended actions in the future.
Events during the drive, including stressors and distractions, may lead to “prospective memory” failure.
Dr. Diamond has concluded that all cases involving hot car deaths involve the failure of the prospective memory system.
When a child dies in a hot car, many people react angrily toward the child’s caregiver. But the biggest mistake a caregiver can make is thinking they are immune to such a tragedy.
When do hot car deaths happen?
Hot car deaths don’t just occur in summer. Most years, the first vehicular heatstroke happens in March, according to Jan Null, who has tracked such deaths since 1998. Over the years, he discovered:
- In about 46% of incidents where a caregiver forgets a child in a car, the caregiver meant to drop the little one off at daycare or school.
- The highest death rates occur on Thursdays and Fridays — the end of the workweek.
- More than half of the deaths (54%) are children under two years old.
- Forgotten Baby Syndrome
Jayde Poole, who left her five-month-old daughter Bella in a car on a hot day, where she died from heatstroke, was found not guilty of manslaughter.
The 29-year-old single mother of three had thought her baby was safe in her crib. When she found Bella missing, she thought she’d been kidnapped and called the police. Jade was arrested and, if convicted, would have faced a 20-year manslaughter charge.
Jayde’s lawyers argued she had suffered from forgotten baby syndrome, and a Supreme Court jury found Jayde was not criminally negligent for her baby’s death.
How long does it take a parked car to reach deadly temperatures?
A simulation conducted by the Australian motoring group NRMA showed that 70% of the rise in car temperature happens within five minutes of closing the car door, and 90% occurs within fifteen minutes.
A car can become an oven in minutes.
If the outside temperature is 85 degrees, after 10 minutes, the car’s internal temperature will be 104. After 30 minutes, 119 and after one hour, 128 degrees. Leaving windows open or parking in the shade does little to change the vehicle’s interior temperature. This short video shows how quickly car temperature can rise in the heat.
Heatstroke facts
A person inside a rapidly heating car may suffer from heatstroke — a condition which can be deadly. Children are more vulnerable to heatstroke, as their body temperature rises 3–5 times faster than an adult’s. When a child is left in a vehicle on a warm day, that child’s temperature can rise dangerously fast.
Heatstroke begins when the body’s core temperature rises to about 104 degrees, and a child can die when their temperature reaches 107 degrees. The NHTSA stats show that over the past 25 years, over 950 children have died of heatstroke after being left or trapped in a hot car.
Parents and caregivers must be vigilant and proactive to prevent such tragic incidents.
12 tips for caregivers to prevent children dying in hot cars
1. Check your backseat
Establish a system to remind you to check the backseat before leaving the car. Place a child’s toy on the passenger seat next to you or a visible reminder on the dashboard, such as a brightly coloured sticker or a sign that says “Check the Backseat!” This simple visual cue can prompt you to check whether your child is in the backseat before leaving the car.
Place items like your wallet, work bag, left shoe or mobile phone in the back seat — something you’ll need upon reaching your destination. Doing this forces you to open the back doors, reducing the chance of accidentally leaving your child behind.
Look before you lock — even if you don’t have children, a child may have entered the vehicle if left unlocked.
2. Secure Unattended Vehicles and keep keys out of reach
While many hot car deaths happen when a caregiver forgets a child, according to NHTSA, the second leading cause — 25% — is children climbing into unattended vehicles.
Be in the habit of always locking your car doors and trunk year-round, even if you park in the driveway or garage. Doing this will prevent curious children from entering the vehicle unsupervised.
Store car keys out of reach of children so they won’t be tempted to explore vehicles as a play area, inadvertently trapping themselves inside.
3. Never leave a child alone in a vehicle
All hot car deaths are preventable. However, the third leading cause of these deaths — consciously leaving a child — is the most preventable. Never leave a child alone in a car, even for a few minutes. Remember — rolling windows down or parking in a shady spot does little to change the vehicle’s interior temperature.
See a Child Alone in a Vehicle?
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, ensure the child is okay and responsive. If not, call EMS/911 immediately.
If the child appears okay, try to find the parents. If you’re in a public place, have security or customer service alert the vehicle owner over the intercom.
If the child is not responsive and appears distressed, try to get into the car to help the child — even if you have to break a window. Side windows are easier to break than windscreens or rear windows, and the edges of windows are the weakest part.
If the child is suffering heat distress, remove them from the vehicle as quickly as possible and cool them rapidly.
Act Fast. Save a Life.
4. Develop a departure routine
Create a consistent departure routine to use every time you exit the vehicle. Mentally rehearse actions such as turning off the engine, grabbing essential items, and opening the backseat door. Building a routine and avoiding distractions will minimize the chances of accidentally forgetting your child in the car.
5. Communicate with caregivers
If different caregivers are involved, ensure clear communication about who is responsible for dropping off and picking up the child. Create a system where the caregiver must confirm the child’s arrival at the destination, providing an additional layer of safety.
6. Practice safety at daycare and school
A 14-month-old girl died after her grandmother left her unattended in a hot car in New York for eight hours. The 54-year-old grandmother forgot to drop the toddler off at a daycare centre and went to work. Eight hours later, she went to pick the girl up at the daycare and realized she had left her in the car. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Coordinate with your child’s daycare or school to implement a protocol that notifies you if your child doesn’t arrive as expected. This mutual communication helps ensure their safety throughout the day.
Form a buddy system with other parents or caregivers who drop off their kids at the same location. Remind each other to check the backseat and confirm the children’s safe arrival.
7. Use technology to remind you a child is in the vehicle
Use modern technology to prevent these accidents. Mobile apps and devices can remind people to check the backseat on arrival at their destination. Some even use geolocation to detect when you’ve arrived at a familiar place and prompt you to double-check the car.
8. Employ a car seat alarm system
Invest in a car seat alarm system that alerts you if your child is still buckled in the seat after you’ve turned off the engine. These alarms can be lifesaving reminders if you accidentally overlook your child’s presence in the backseat.
9. Make a phone call check-in
Before leaving your car, make it a habit to call your partner, a family member, or a friend to chat briefly. This conversation can help reinforce your memory and create an additional reminder to check the backseat.
10. Teach children about car safety
Talk to your child about the dangers of playing inside cars and the importance of never entering a vehicle without an adult’s supervision.
11. Set calendar alerts
If you have a consistent schedule, set up recurring calendar alerts on your phone to remind you to check for your child in the backseat upon arrival at your destination.
12. Raise awareness
Educate yourself and others about the risks and consequences of leaving children in hot cars. Share information on social media, and engage in community discussions to raise awareness and prevent these incidents. Everyone Can Help Prevent Hot Car Deaths
Encourage local communities, schools, and organizations to organize awareness campaigns and workshops to address the issue. Spread the word on social media using #HeatstrokeKills #CheckTheBackSeat.
Call to action
Children dying of heatstroke in cars is a preventable tragedy. We can reduce the risk of young children being left unattended in hot vehicles with a collective effort from parents, caregivers, and the community.
Car manufacturers must continue to work on technology such as rear seat reminder systems and radar devices that detect people and animals in cars and
Governments must pass laws requiring technology in all new cars to help prevent hot car deaths.
Community members must be on the lookout for children and pets alone in cars and take action to save them.
Tips to Reduce the Risk of Hot Car Death
Parents and caregivers can reduce the chance of a hot car tragedy by doing the following:
1. Check the backseat before locking the car doors and walking away.
2. Secure unattended vehicles and keep keys out of reach
3. Never leave a child alone in a vehicle
4. Develop a departure routine
5. Communicate with caregivers
6. Practice safety at daycare and school
7. Use technology to remind you a child is in the vehicle
8. Employ a car seat alarm system
9. Make a phone call check-in
10. Teach children about car safety
11. Set calendar alerts
12. Raise awareness
Click here for information about Emergency Child Care First Aid & CPR training
When no in-person training was possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross supported Safe + Sound’s ability to provide Youth First Aid courses virtually and to offer some first aid & CPR courses in a blended format, combining online training with in-person delivery.
Over the years, her team has heard back from clients whose lives have changed – while some saved a life, others got a big boost in their self-confidence. In 2011, Safe + Sound became the first Red Cross agency to receive the ‘Partners in Humanity Award’. Since 1999, Safe + Sound First Aid Training has offered Red Cross training to more than 50,000 students of all ages and backgrounds.