Vehicle Heatstroke Prevention
Over 900 children died of heatstroke since 1998, because they were left or became trapped in a hot car. Everyone must understand that children are more vulnerable to heatstroke and that all hot car deaths are preventable. As parents, caregivers, and bystanders, we play a role in helping to ensure another death doesn’t happen.
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 hot vehicle, that child's temperature can rise quickly — and they could die within minutes.
- Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees.
- A child can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees.
- In 2021, 23 children died of vehicular heatstroke.
- In 2018 and 2019, we saw a record number of hot car deaths — 53 children died each year — the most in at least 20 years, according to NoHeatstroke.org.
Act Fast. Save a Life.
If you see a child alone in a locked car, get them out immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.
