Experts Sound Alarm About Risk of Child Deaths in Hot Cars

Jul 01, 2025

MONDAY, June 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — With early summer temperatures already setting triple-digit records across the East Coast, safety experts are sounding the alarm about the risks of leaving young children inside hot cars.

Nine children have died so far this year after being left alone in vehicles in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, New Jersey and North Carolina, according to Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit group that aims to protect children and pets in motor vehicles.

Five of these hot-car deaths occurred in June alone.

The majority of hot-car deaths happen when a caregiver forgets about the child in the car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

And, experts warn, it can happen to any parent or caregiver. For example, an adult who normally doesn’t drop a child off at daycare on the way to work may become distracted and forget that the child is in the vehicle as they rush to their office.

“It sounds crazy, but sometimes people get out of routines or are distracted, especially in today’s world. There’s lots going on in the news, lots going with families,” Kathy Wall, director of Safe Kids Palm Beach County, told CBS News.

Thirty-eight children a year die from heatstroke inside a vehicle. Since 1990, at least 1,134 children have died in hot cars in the U.S., and about 7,500 survived with some type of injury, according to Kids and Car Safety.

It doesn’t take long for a child to develop heatstroke in a locked car.

“Inside, the vehicle can heat up 20 degrees in just 20 minutes,” Wall said. “So if you imagine it’s an 80-degree day, which in South Florida is a cool day, it could be over 100 degrees within 10 minutes inside the car.”

Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, and death occurs at a core body temperature of 107 degrees or higher, the NHTSA warns.

Wall encourages parents and caregivers to establish routines and use the acronym ACT when transporting children in cars:

A: Avoid leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
C: Create a reminder, such as leaving a purse in the backseat so the driver must open the back door before locking the vehicle.
T: Take action right away.

Parents and caregivers should park, stop, look and then lock the door, the NHTSA urges.

Onlookers can also take action and possibly save a life. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, first make sure the child is O.K. and responsive. If the child is not responsive or is in distress, call 911 and attempt to get into the car to help.

Many states have “Good Samaritan” laws that protect individuals from lawsuits for getting involved to help someone in an emergency, the NHTSA notes.

Some newer cars offer warnings to remind drivers to check the back seat for passengers.

More information

Kids and Cars provides more information on preventing hot car deaths.

SOURCE: CBS News, June 28, 2025