GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In about ten minutes, a vehicle can heat up by 20 degrees. It only takes minutes for a car to become deadly hot for a child.
Since 1998, more than 950 children have died in hot cars, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). About 40 children die a year from being left or trapped in a vehicle.
"Children's bodies are not able to regulate temperature like an adult's can," said Laura Dunn, a highway safety specialist with NHTSA. "Their body temperature rises about three to five times faster than an adult. So, it's never safe to leave a child in a car, not even for a very short amount of time."
Dunn said these child deaths happen for three reasons. The majority of the time, 53%, a child is forgotten in the vehicle.
"Many of these deaths happened because the morning routine was different," said Dunn. "For example, a parent is taking a child to daycare who doesn't normally do that, or they have an appointment that they don't normally have. Nearly half of all the deaths that occur when children are forgotten are occurring when the children are supposed to be dropped off at school or daycare, and that momentary lapse in attention or memory can really happen to anyone. Everybody is susceptible to this."
According to the NHTSA, Thursdays and Fridays have the highest death rates for this occurrence. More than half of the children are under the age of 2.
As Dunn said, everyone is susceptible to this, even if parents think it could never happen to them. She has some tips to prevent forgetting a child in a vehicle.
- Always look in the back seat to make sure your child hasn't been left behind in their car seat.
- Arrange with child care to call if your child hasn't arrived when they are supposed to.
- Place an item of the child's in the front seat or your lap as a visual cue.
- Place a bag or phone in the backseat, so you are forced to look in the backseat when getting out of the vehicle.
There are two other instances where children die in hot vehicles. One, the child gets into the vehicle themselves and becomes trapped. Second, a child is intentionally left in the vehicle for a seemingly short errand.
"It's really important to lock your car when you leave, and put your keys and your key fobs up and out of reach," said Dunn.
Many states have Good Samaritan laws to prevent lawsuits from someone breaking a car window to save a child in a hot car. Michigan had a bill introduced in 2018 to amend its law to include this, but it has not been passed into law.