Although summer is still several weeks away, it’s never too early to be reminded about child deaths that can occur when they are left unattended in a vehicle where the temperature can quickly rise to fatal levels.
Already, three children have died in 2025, ranging in age from 4 months to 6 years.
“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.
“Since 1990, at least 1,127 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.
3 children have died in hot cars so far this year
It doesn’t take a heat wave for an unattended child or baby to die in a hot car.
The first death of the year was a 4-month old boy who was unknowingly left in a car in March.
Two more deaths occurred in May.
Reported deaths this year, according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety:
In 2024, 40 children died in hot cars
In 2024, 40 children died in hot cars. Ages ranged from one month to 8 years, according to Kids and Care Safety.
‘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 Care Safety said on its website.
“It can happen to anyone.
“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.”
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.
“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.
“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 canreach 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?
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.
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.”
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
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 3 children have died in hot cars so far this year. Tips to prevent these tragedies
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
