Brace yourself. This is the worst thing we regularly have to report. But we all need to know it to keep everyone safe.
In an average year, 38 children die in hot cars, according to Kids and Car Safety. But the numbers have improved in recent years.
Pre-Pandemic Peak
The organization reports that 2018 and 2019 were the worst years on record for child deaths in hot cars. Fifty-four such deaths were recorded in 2018; 52 in 2019.
Since then, numbers have begun to fall. Last year, the organization recorded 29 such deaths.
“The overwhelming majority of hot car tragedies involve a child who was unknowingly left or gained access to the vehicle on their own,” the organization says. “Contrary to public opinion, very few cases involve drugs, alcohol, prior CPS involvement or neglect.”
It Can Happen Fast
A parked car is a box of metal and glass. It heats up quickly in the sun. “Even with the windows cracked, the temperature inside a car can reach 125 degrees in minutes,” Kids and Car Safety says. Eighty percent of that increase happens in the first 10 minutes.
The temperature inside a car can be much higher than the air outside. “Children have died from heatstroke in cars when outside temperatures were as low as 60 degrees,” the organization notes.
Rear Seat Reminder Tech Could Help
Kids and Car Safety posits no explanations for the decrease after 2019. Americans drove less during the COVID-19 pandemic, which doubtlessly contributed to the drop. But the numbers haven’t returned to 2019 levels even as America’s driving has.
Technology might be helping. Many automakers have installed rear seat reminder technology in new cars. If you open and shut a second-row door before driving somewhere, a rear seat reminder will prompt you to check for children or pets when you park the car.
Related – Rear Seat Reminder: How It Works And Why You Need It
But the Government Is Dragging Its Feet
The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act instructed the U.S. Department of Transportation to require the technology in all new cars. But, the organization notes, the department has fallen behind in implementing the law. The department missed a November 2023 deadline to enact a new rule.
If you can’t afford a new car, you may still have access to the technology. Kids and Car Safety notes, “The market offers several aftermarket products that should be considered only an additional layer of protection. SensorSafe technology, available in select Evenflo and Cybex car seats, features a smart chest clip that alerts parents to check the backseat when a child is buckled in. The chest clip syncs with a cell phone app, which can notify parents if the child is inadvertently left behind.”
