From NHTSA
More than 1,010 children have died of heatstroke, because they were left or became trapped in a hot car over the past 25 years. It’s important for everyone to understand these tragedies can happen to anyone — but are always preventable.
Know the Facts
- A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s. When a child is left in a vehicle, that child’s temperature can rise quickly — and the situation can quickly become dangerous.
- Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees. Death occurs at a core body temperature of 107 or above.
- In 2024, 39 children died of heatstroke in vehicles — up 35% from 2023.
- In 2018 and 2019, we saw a record number of hot car deaths — 53 children died each year — the most in at least 25 years, according to NoHeatstroke.org.
Everyone Can Help Prevent Hot Car Deaths
Parents and Caregivers
1. Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time. Rolling windows down or parking in the shade does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle.
2. Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle — especially the back seat — before locking the doors and walking away. Over 50% of pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths are a result of a parent or caregiver forgetting a child in a car.
3. Ask your childcare provider to call if your child doesn’t show up for care as expected.
4. Place a personal item like a purse or briefcase in the back seat, as another reminder to look before you lock. Write a note or place a stuffed animal in the passenger’s seat to remind you that a child is in the back seat.
5. Store car keys and fobs out of a child’s reach and teach children that a vehicle is not a play area.
Everyone — Including Bystanders
- Secure Your Car. Always lock your car when you aren’t using it. Even if you don’t have a child of your own, a child in your neighborhood could get into your unlocked vehicle. Over 230 children have died from vehicular heatstroke since 1998 because they gained access to a vehicle and became trapped.
- Act Fast. Save a Life. If you see a child alone in a locked car, act immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.
Child Safety
Learn about other dangers in and around your vehicle that could seriously harm or even kill your child.
NHTSA Child Safety Page
