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.