High Temperatures Could Mean Tragedy for a Child Left in a Car

July 19, 2001

This summer, if you're tempted to leave your child in the car for "just a minute" while you run an errand, think again. Data compiled by General Motors has shown that from 1996 to 2000 at least 120 children - most of them under the age of 3 - have died from heatstroke after being trapped inside a parked car. Several children have already died this summer, including one child whose father forgot he was in the car and another who climbed into a car unnoticed and was unable to get out.

According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, a Washington-based organization dedicated to preventing childhood injuries, heat-related deaths in cars are entirely preventable if parents would simply realize the inherent danger.

Being left in a closed car, particularly on a very hot day, is especially dangerous for children because they cannot regulate their body temperatures as efficiently as adults. In a hot environment, a child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult's. Add to this that the temperature inside a car is actually much higher than the outside temperature (when the outside temperature is 93 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside a car can reach 125 degrees in just 20 minutes), and you have the makings of a potential tragedy. Heatstroke, the most severe form of heat illness, can occur within minutes.

Without emergency medical treatment, heatstroke can quickly lead to permanent disability or death. A child experiencing heatstroke cannot maintain a normal body temperature - which can actually reach 106 degrees within 15 minutes. Some signs of heatstroke include an extremely high temperature; red, hot, dry skin with no visible sweating; a rapid pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and unconsciousness. After a short time, the child will go into shock and vital organs will start to fail.

A survey conducted by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign last year found that 10% of all parents thought it was OK to leave young children alone in a car for 5 minutes. That number was 20% among parents in the 18-to-24 age bracket. About 50% of the survey respondents said they do not lock their parked vehicles at home, thus creating a situation in which children could enter the car and become trapped inside. Although several states have passed laws against leaving children alone in parked cars, they vary widely and most states have not been quick to prosecute.

What can you do to keep your child safe in the car this summer? Follow these basic guidelines:

• Never leave your child in a parked car - even for a moment and even if you crack the windows. The weather may feel deceptively cool to you, but remember, the sun beating down on a car can cause the temperature inside to rise more quickly than you realize.
• Teach your child never to play in and around parked cars. Children are curious and often want to play in the family car as it sits in the driveway - but once inside, they may not know how to get out. Play it safe by keeping the car doors locked and the keys out of reach.
• Teach your child never to play in the trunk. Be sure to keep rear fold-down seats up so kids can't get into the trunk from inside the car, and pay special attention as you're loading and unloading the car.
• Never let infants sleep unattended in the car.
• Take a head count when you've reached your destination to make sure that all children on board have exited the car.
• Make sure the surfaces of any restraining devices (seat belts, car seats) aren't too hot when you place your child in them. Use a windshield or window shade if you park your car in the sun.
• Seek emergency medical attention if you know or think that your child has been exposed to high temperatures by having been left in or accidentally trapped in a car.

Reviewed by: Steve Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: July 2001

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