As summer temperatures reach scorching highs, the interior of a hot car can become a death trap for kids. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic may lead people to drive less and work from home more, the risk of hot car deaths remains high, says AAA.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Heatstroke is one of the leading causes of vehicular not-in-traffic non-crash-associated with deaths for children below 14. Since 1998, an average of 39 children died every year from heatstroke.
The majority of hot car deaths, about 54%, happen because someone forgets leaving a child in a car. This often happens when parents or caregivers forget to drop their child off at daycare as they become distracted or are off their routine.
However, these horrific tragedies do not occur only when a child is forgotten. The second leading cause, about 25%, of vehicular heatstroke deaths is when children get into unattended vehicles, either through an unlocked door or the trunk.
In 2018, there was a record-setting 53 hot car deaths. In 2019, there were 52. Previously this year, a 4-year-old died of heatstroke after he left the home and climbed into their unoccupied automobile, without his family noticing.
“With much more time being spent at home, because of the pandemic, AAA urges families to educate their children about the dangers of playing in hot cars, and to take necessary precautions to prevent a tragedy like this from happening,” stated Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group.”
Knowingly leaving a child is the third biggest cause of vehicular heatstroke deaths. One should never leave a child alone in a parked car, even with the windows rolled down or switching the air conditioning on. A child’s body temperature can rise three to five times quicker than an adult. When the body’s temperature reaches 104 degrees, the internal organs begin to shut down.
If you see a child or pet inside the car, you call 911 immediately in the US and follow the instructions of emergency personnel. Even though it is not advisable that you should break into the vehicle for protecting child or pet caught in the car, nonetheless, in some states, laws will protect citizens if they break into a vehicle for saving them.
