Eight children have died so far this year after being left in hot cars.
Two of the deaths were in Florida, with the most recent happening over the weekend, on June 20.
Almost 1,200 have died in the United States since 1990, at least another 7,500 survived with varying degrees of injury, according to Kids and Car Safety.
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It doesn’t take long before temperatures inside a car become deadly, even if the outside temps aren’t hot enough to warrant heat alerts from the National Weather Service.
Most of Florida could see a heat index in the middle 100s June 26-27, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Heat index forecast to reach well above 100 in Florida this weekend
A system of high pressure is building over the Sunshine State this week, bringing hotter temperatures and decreasing rain chances, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The hottest days are expected this weekend, and widespread heat indexes are forecast to reach the middle 100s across the peninsula.
Heat advisories may be issued, and National Weather Service offices in the state were warning residents of the “extreme heat.”
8 children have died in US after being left in hot cars, including 2 in Florida
“Since 1990, at least 1,180 children have died in hot cars in the United States, and at least another 7,500 survived with varying degrees of injury,” according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety.
As of June 24, eight children have died this year after being left in a hot vehicle, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Two of the children were in Florida, with the most recent death reported in Riverview in West-Central Florida:
➤ Baby girl dies after being left in a vehicle in Winter Haven
Florida trends since 1998 on hot car deaths
In data going back to 1998, there hasn’t been a year that Florida hasn’t seen at least one hot car death, according to the National Safety Council.
In 2004, 10 children in Florida died in hot cars.
2026 hot car deaths in the U.S.
As of June 24, eight children, including several babies, have died in hot cars. Locations, ages and circumstances — if known — compiled by Kids and Car Safety are:
How do hot car deaths of children happen?
“On average nearly 40 children die in hot cars every year in the United States. That’s approximately one every nine days,” Kids and Car Safety said.
“Nearly every state has experienced at least one death since 1998,” according to the National Safety Council.
“In both 2018 and 2019, a record number of 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle.”
“Eighty-eight percent of children who have died in a hot car are age 3 and younger,” according to Kids and Car Safety.
“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.
“Approximately 43% of children who were unknowingly left were supposed to be dropped off at childcare.”
Cars heat up very fast. Cracking the window doesn’t help
“The inside of a vehicle heats up VERY quickly. Even with the windows cracked, the temperature inside a car can reach 125 degrees in minutes,” Kids and Care Safety said.
Research has shown vehicles become dangerously hot quickly, even when the outside temperature is moderate. With an outside ambient air temperature of 72 degrees, the internal vehicle temperature can reach 117 within 60 minutes, with 80% of the temperature increase occurring in the first 30 minutes, the National Safety Council said.
How hot is too hot for children inside a vehicle?
Interior vehicle temperatures can be 50 degrees higher than outside temperatures. Even on a cool day when the outside temperature is 61, within an hour, the inside temperature of a car reached more than 105, according to Consumer Reports.
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.
Safety tips to help prevent babies, children from dying in hot cars
Kids and Car Safety provided these suggestions to prevent children from being forgotten in hot cars:
Make sure children cannot get into a parked car
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://heraldtribune.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Tragedy strikes again in Florida, with second death of child in hot car
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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By Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
