Causey
When we get inside a car that has been outside on a hot summer day it can feel like an oven. Such heat can become deadly if a child is left inside a car.
Since 1998, 1,022 children have tragically died from heatstroke because they were left in a car. All those deaths were preventable.
On average, 37 children die from vehicular heatstroke each year across the United States. In 2024, 39 children died from vehicular heatstroke. Fifty-three children died in both 2018 and 2019, the highest on record.
Twelve children died in the first half of this year. One of those children was a 7-month-old girl who died in the North Carolina town of Hamlet.
We all know that it’s usually hotter inside a car than it is outside. But do we understand how much hotter the temperature is inside a car?
The temperature inside a vehicle can rise about 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. That means if it’s 95 outside, it could be 115 degrees inside the car. So, leaving your child in a car for just a few minutes while you run inside a store to shop for an item or two is a bad idea.
It’s also important to note that a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s body.
We also need to remember not to leave a pet in a car. Pets can suffer and die from heatstroke too.
Here are some important safety tips to help you remember to never leave a child alone in a car. It’s called the ACT method, an acronym for Avoid, Create, and Take action.
— Avoid heatstroke related injuries and deaths by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not inside so kids can’t get inside on their own.
— Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or something in your child’s car seat when it’s empty and move it to the front seat when your child is in the car. That gives you a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Place something that you’ll need to take with you, such as your cell phone, briefcase or purse, in the back seat when traveling with your child.
— Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations.
July is the deadliest month for cases of vehicular hyperthermia in children, but the danger spreads throughout the year, especially from March through November.
Mike Causey is North Carolina Insurance Commissioner.