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Every summer we hear stories of children being left in hot cars with tragic results. The daytime temperatures the past week or so have been near 90 degrees or hotter, and not only can it be deadly to leave children in a hot car, but elderly people as well. Neither age group tolerate heat well.
Sadly, it never fails to happens. And never fails to shock and outrage. Every summer we see stories and hear stories of parents who leave their children in hot cars. Sometimes, the child is rescued in time. Sometimes, tragically not.
During the heat wave of the past week, it’s dangerous for anyone to sit in a hot car very long. Even if you leave the car and air running, or leave the windows open, it often does not allow enough air into the vehicle. New reports estimate that more than 38 kids die in hot cars every year, and often July is the deadliest month. It’s every parent’s unfathomable nightmare, yet it happens several times a year.
These include instances in which a child has been forgotten in a car, when they accidentally lock themselves in a car or trunk, etc.
Temperatures inside a car can climb 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and often, that’s enough to cause hyperthermia. Within an hour, car temperatures can rise more than 40 degrees, even when temperatures are low.
Though hot car deaths occur more frequently in the summer, they can occur even when the weather is cool. A 2005 study found that even when it’s 72 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car parked in the sun climbed to 117 degrees in 60 minutes.
Rolling the window down doesn’t make a difference, either. The study showed that the parked car ended up at the same temperature after an hour in the sun, whether or not the window was open.
As of July, 21 states have enacted laws that make it a crime to leave a child alone in the car in the first place, regardless of the outcome, HeatStroke.org reported.
Four states allow a brief period of time that a child can spend alone in a car before it becomes illegal. Texas and Hawaii allow a five-minute maximum, Illinois allows 10 minutes, and Florida allows 15 minutes.
Additionally, 21 states have Good Samaritan laws that allow citizens to “rescue” a child alone in a car if they perceive the child to be in danger, even if they break through a window. Many, but not all, of states with those laws have outlawed leaving a child in a car unattended.
According to Kids and Cars, children have been accidentally left in cars by parents who are teachers, police officers, clergy and nurses – it can happen to anyone.
The organization suggests parents or guardians leave a vital item in the backseat, such as a laptop, a handbag or even a shoe, that they will have to retrieve before they get their day going. That would allow them to see if a child is there. Kids and Cars also said a visual cue, like a diaper bag in the front seat, can be helpful. The organization has also supported making sensors that would go off if a child or pet is left behind a standard accessory in vehicles.
No child should have their life ended prematurely because of absent-mindedness. And no parent should have to endure the lifetime of guilt that would result because of it.
Also, don’t leave your pets in hot cars, nor your elderly parents. Both animals and humans are susceptible to heat stroke.