Children dying from heatstroke in cars, either because they were left or became trapped, has increased in recent years. In 2018 and 2019, a record 53 children died of vehicular heatstroke each year. In 2020, during the public health emergency, 25 children lost their lives in hot cars, and in 2021, 17 children died.

Heatstroke Facts

The majority of hot car deaths — 53 percent — happen because someone forgets a child in a car. You may be asking yourself: How does this happen? Families who lost a loved one thought the same thing at one point, but then the tragedy happened to them. In 2019, we saw the highest number of deaths, 53, because children were forgotten since 1998. Among the trends discovered over the years:

• About 46 percent of the time when a child was forgotten, the caregiver meant to drop the child off at a daycare or preschool
• Thursdays and Fridays — the end of the workweek — have had the highest deaths
• Nearly 75 percent of children who are forgotten and die are under 2 years old

Everyone Should Keep Their Car Locked

Vehicular heatstroke deaths don’t just happen when a child is forgotten. The second leading cause —26 percent — of such deaths are children getting into unattended vehicles. Get in the habit of always locking your car doors and trunk, year-round. The temperature inside a car can reach over 115 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature is just 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Never Leave a Child Alone

While all types of vehicular heatstroke deaths are preventable, the third leading cause of these deaths — knowingly leaving a child — is the most preventable. Never leave a child alone in a parked car, even with the windows rolled down or the air conditioning on. A child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adult’s. 

See a Child Alone in a Vehicle?

If you see a child alone in a vehicle, make sure the child is okay and responsive. If not, call 9-1-1 immediately.

• If the child appears to be okay, attempt to locate the parents; if at a public place, have the facility page the car owner over an intercom system
• If the child is not responsive and appears to be in distress, attempt to get into the car to assist the child—even if that means breaking a window. The North Carolina Good Samaritan law states that any person who renders first aid or emergency assistance at the scene of an accident to any person injured as a result of the accident cannot be liable in civil action for their acts or omissions unless there was wanton conduct or intentional wrongdoing

Remember: Kids and hot cars can be a deadly combination. Don’t take the chance. Always look in the front and back of the vehicle before locking the door and walking away.