Vehicles heat up quickly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other safety advocates and academic institutions have recognized the safety threat heatstroke poses for children left in hot cars. Here are the key facts.
Heatstroke is the leading cause of passenger vehicle non-crash-related fatalities for children 14 and younger.
- From 1998-2015, 661 children died due to heatstroke. Of the 661 deaths:
- 54% child “forgotten” by caregiver (356 children)
- 29% child playing in unattended vehicle (186 children)
- 17% child intentionally left in vehicle by adult (111 children)
- 1% were unknown cases (5 children)
- In 2015 there were 24 heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles.
- Children are at a higher risk than adults of dying from heatstroke in a hot vehicle, especially when they are too young to communicate.
- A child’s temperature heats up 3 to 5 times faster than that of an adult.
High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.
- Heat stroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees and the thermoregulatory system is overwhelmed. A core temperature of about 107 degrees is lethal.
- In 10 minutes a car can heat up 20 degrees. Rolling down a window does little to keep it cool.
- Heatstroke fatalities have occurred even in vehicles parked in shaded areas and when the air temperatures were 80 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
- Heatstroke can occur in temperatures as low as 57 degrees.
- The warning signs vary, but may include:
- Red, hot, and moist or dry skin
- No sweating
- A strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse
- A throbbing headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Being grouchy or acting strangely
Additional Resources
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - www.safercar.gov/heatstroke
- San Jose State University, Department of Meteorology & Climate Science - www.noheatstroke.org
- Safe Kids - www.safekids.org
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia - www.chop.edu
