"The truth is it's never just a minute," she said. That's why people should never run into a store or gas station and leave a child in the car, thinking it'll only take a minute. It's made it that much more deadly for children and others, like elderly people and pets, vulnerable to heat in cars.įennell said the biggest jump in temperature happens within the first 10 minutes after a car is shut off. Hot cars are a huge threat to kids amid heat wavesĪn oppressive heat wave has been plaguing much of the South and Western United States in recent days and weeks, causing record-shattering temperatures. Sometimes, kids get into cars by themselves while parents think they are down for a nap or playing safely, and they become trapped.Īnd sometimes, a caregiver knows a child was still in the car and purposely leaves them there, perhaps thinking the child will be fine during a quick run into a store, Fennell said. Fennell told USA TODAY on Friday that it's important to be aware of the danger, because a deadly mistake can be made by any parent at any time. The deaths typically happen when a parent or caregiver has a change in routine, or parents miscommunicate with each other over who's in charge of taking the baby inside, and it isn't discovered until it's much too late. Fennell said the death toll isn't improving ‒ the number of children who died in hot cars this year is about on par for what she's seen in recent years. "We have lost way too many children," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of advocacy group Kids and Car Safety. The child died as temperature rose to more than 133 degrees in the vehicle, police said. She said she realized the baby was still in the car when her mother came to pick her up several hours later. On Tuesday, a Florida babysitter said she forgot a 10-month-old baby girl in a car when she went inside to watch other children. That's where some of the most devastating tragedies unfold when children are inadvertently left behind.Īt least 14 children have died in hot cars so far in 2023, bringing to 1,000 the number who have died that way during the past three decades. If there's anything hotter than the record-breaking temperatures felt across much of the United States in recent weeks, it's the temperature inside a car parked outside in the sweltering heat.
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