The first day of summer won’t be here until June 20, but there have already been six deaths of children left inside a vehicle this year.
Ages ranged from 4 months to 6 years and most were unknowingly left behind, according to Kids and Car Safety.
There were two deaths this week, on June 8 and June 9, one of a 7-month-old girl and the second of a 21-month-old girl.
NoHeatStroke.org said there have been 1,016 pediatric vehicular heatstroke since 1998, averaging two per week during the summer.
More than 50 percent of the children were forgotten, with nearly half of those not dropped off at a daycare facility, the agency said.
6 children have died in hot cars so far this year
As of June 10, no deaths have been reported in Florida.
Reported deaths this year have been reported in the following states, according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety:
In 2024, 41 children died in hot cars, 4 in Florida
In 2024, 40 children died in hot cars. Ages ranged from one month to 8 years, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Since 1990, at least 1,131 children have died in hot cars in the United States and at least another 7,500 surviving with varying degrees of injury according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety.
The Florida deaths in 2024 were in:
Remember: ‘It can happen to anyone’
“The majority of parents and caregivers are misinformed and would like to believe that a hot car tragedy will never happen to them,” Kids and Car Safety said on its website.
“It can happen to anyone,” is the phrase repeated by several agencies.
“In over half of hot car deaths, the person responsible for the child unknowingly left them in the vehicle. In most situations, this happens to loving, caring, and protective parents. It has happened to a teacher, dentist, social worker, police officer, nurse, clergyman, soldier, and even a rocket scientist.”
“Eighty-eight percent of children who have died in a hot car are age 3 and younger. Rear-facing child safety seats do not look any different to the driver if they are occupied or empty, which can cause a parent to lose awareness of them in the back seat,” Kids and Car Safety said.
“Approximately 43% of children who were unknowingly left were supposed to be dropped off at childcare.”
‘100% preventable’: What can I do to prevent baby, child from being left in car
Kids and Car Safety provided these suggestions to prevent children from being forgotten and dying of pediatric vehicular heatstroke:
Make sure children cannot get into a parked car
Heat death can happen fast inside a vehicle
On a 72-degree day, a car’s interior can be deadly in less than 30 minutes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The danger from high temperatures is particularly acute for young children because their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adult bodies, the American Academy of Pediatrics said.
Heatstroke in children can happen when their core temperature reaches about 104 degrees. A child can die if their internal body temperature reaches 107 degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Leaving a window open is not enough. Temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Signs of heatstroke in children
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, signs of heatstroke that require immediate medical attention include:
“Before severe heatstroke, children in hot cars suffer from heat illness symptoms, including weakness, dizziness, nausea, feeling faint, headache and an increased body temperature.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: These deaths of babies, children ‘100 percent’ preventable, but 6 have already died in hot cars
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
