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How does a hot car put kids in danger?

Leaving a child in a vehicle for a "quick" errand is a huge mistake. Unfortunately, a delay of just a few minutes on a warm day can lead to tragedy.

Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or even death.

According to research conducted by San Francisco State University, even with relatively cool temperatures outside - 70 degrees - the inside of a car can reach a dangerous temperature in just minutes.

The research also revealed that more than a third of these children were accidentally left behind in a closed, parked car by parents or caregivers and another third of these children were trapped while playing in a vehicle unattended. Sadly, one in five children who died were intentionally left in the vehicle by an adult.

Tips

• Teach children not to play in, on or around vehicles.

• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.

• Always lock a vehicle’s doors and trunk - especially at home. Keep keys and remote entry devices out of children’s reach.

• Watch children closely around vehicles, particularly when loading and unloading. Check to ensure all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination. Don’t overlook sleeping infants.
  

• Be especially careful if you’re dropping off infants or children at day care and that’s not part of your normal routine.
  

• Place something that you’ll need at your next stop - for example a purse, lunch, gym bag or briefcase - on the floor of the backseat where the child is sitting. This simple act could help prevent you from accidentally forgetting a child.
  

• If you see an unattended child in a vehicle, call 911 immediately.

Facts

• From 1998 to 2007, approximately 365 children - most of them aged three and younger - died from heat stroke after being trapped in a car.

• On days when the temperature exceeded 86°F, the internal temperature of the vehicle quickly reached 134°F to 154°F.

Child Passenger Safety Web site

More about Child Passenger Safety

Suggested Links

• Kids In Cars - Information about keeping kids safe in or around cars

• Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles

• Spot The Tot and Safe Kids Utah: Violence and Injury Prevention Program at the Utah Department of Health

• GM Safety Information