Sitting in hot cars can kill children, especially when the weather heats up. There are some devices you can purchase an some come with the vehicle but that is rare.
This year, 27 children in the U.S. have died after they were left in hot vehicles, according to Kids and Cars, a Kansas City-based advocacy group. That includes the death last month of a 2-year-old in Dallas left behind in a hot car while his family was in church. The total this year has already surpassed the total for all of 2015.
Of the 755 children who died in hot cars since 1990, the majority – 55 percent – were somehow unknowingly left behind which makes you wonder how can we forget. In 28 percent of cases, kids climbed into the cars on their own.
Even a short period of time in a vehicle can turn deadly. Within 10 minutes, a car’s temperature can rise 20 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Even if it’s 60 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can reach 110. Children can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees.
Kids and Cars says the government should require automakers to install back seat reminder systems. But NHTSA says it’s still researching the best ways to prevent deaths. In the meantime, the agency is sponsoring public information campaigns.
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