Dozens of Kids Die in Hot Cars Every Year—These Habits Can Save Lives

Every summer, heartbreaking headlines remind us of a tragedy that is both devastating and preventable: children dying after being left in hot cars.

Just recently, one mom in Texas left her 5-year-old in the car thinking she had dropped him off at day care before heading to work, according to news reports. The boy didn’t survive.

Whether it’s a momentary lapse in memory or a distracted daily routine, even loving, attentive parents and guardians can make a mistake that turns fatal in just minutes. 

As temperatures climb, professionals in emergency medicine and child injury prevention are urging caregivers to adopt simple, consistent habits that could mean the difference between life and death. 

Here, we spoke with experts to understand why this happens—and how to stop it.

Heatstroke Statistics

On average, 37 children under the age of 15 die each year in the United States from pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH) after being left in a vehicle, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Nearly every state has experienced at least one PVH death since 1998, with more than half of these cases involving a parent or caregiver who unknowingly left their child behind.

According to data from NoHeatStroke.org, Texas leads the nation in PVH deaths between 1998 and 2024 with 147 fatalities, followed by Florida with 113. No PVH deaths had been reported in Alaska or New Hampshire during that time.

What Causes Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke?

While anyone can die from heatstroke in the car, children are more susceptible. Children cannot regulate their body temperature as well as adults, due to their larger surface area relative to body mass, explains Kirsten Bechtel, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine. Because of this, their temperature can spike very fast. 

“When kids can’t have that evaporation from sweat because the car is locked and the windows are rolled up, the air doesn’t circulate, which causes their body to heat up even faster,” she says. “Within 45 minutes, the temperature in a car can easily reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and exposure at that temperature for more than an hour or so can lead to heatstroke.”

Dr. Bechtel explains that when a child’s body is critically overheated, the heart goes under heat stress and does not pump effectively, which prevents the blood from getting to the brain and other vital organs, like the kidneys. 

“Electrolytes become imbalanced, blood becomes acidic, and the child quickly becomes severely dehydrated,” she says. “They become lethargic, unresponsive, and turn gray and very pale.” 

Blanca Villasenor, senior injury prevention specialist at Phoenix Children’s, reinforces how quickly conditions inside a vehicle can become deadly—even when it’s not blazing hot. 

“Vehicles still tend to be really hot, although there’s a mild temperature outside,” says Villasenor. “Even if you leave the A/C running, many cars have safety measures that shut the engine off—and that means the A/C shuts off too.”

Why Parents Forget

Villasenor cautions against assuming this only happens to caregivers who are older or fit some other demographic criteria that research doesn’t support. “It can happen to anyone,” she says.

Often, fatigue is to blame. “When caregivers are sleep-deprived, they can become forgetful, distracted, and lose the ability to make good decisions,” says Dr. Bechtel. “They can forget they even have a child in the car.”

Sometimes parents intentionally leave their kids in the car and misjudge how long they’ve been away. Dr. Bechtel says that parents may think, “I’m going to run into the store quickly,” and leave windows rolled up for what they think will be a short amount of time. “The situation can become dangerous within just 20 minutes,” explains Dr. Bechtel.

Car Safety Habits That Save Lives

Whether a child is left behind by accident or on purpose, these consistent, proactive tips can be the best defense against tragedy.

Always look before you lock

A good rule of thumb is to form a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind, according to Kids and Car Safety, an organization focused on protecting kids and pets in and around vehicles.  

Use a visual cue

Put something that you typically carry with you and will need, like your purse or your work ID, in the backseat, says Villasenor. “I know I need my badge to come into the office, so I just leave my badge in the backseat,” she shares.

Dr. Bechtel notes that lots of people are addicted to their phones, so she recommends putting it in the backseat next to children.

Have a front-seat reminder

Kids and Car Safety also recommends keeping a large stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. When the child is placed in the car seat, move the stuffed animal to the front seat as a reminder.

Ask your child care provider to call if your child doesn’t arrive

“Establish a clear policy with your child care provider to confirm your child’s whereabouts,” recommends Kids and Car Safety.

Therefore, if your child isn’t in school and they haven’t received a call, they will be prompted to contact you immediately to ensure your child is safe.

Use technology—but don’t rely on it completely

“Depending on the model, some newer vehicles will alert you once you turn off your car, if it detects that you’ve [previously] opened one of your backseat doors,” says Villasenor. 

She also says that other vehicles detect that the seat belt was buckled in the back seat, so as soon as you turn off your car it will alert you. “But if you hear that beep every day, you may quit paying attention to it,” says Villasenor. 

She explains that research has shown just relying on technology is not as preventable as combining it with non-technological tips to make sure your kid is out of the vehicle.

Communicate changes in routine

Villasenor says that accidents can happen when there is a change in your daily routine, such as new people driving your kids to their destinations.

“It’s very important for caregivers to come up with a plan, such as calling or sending a picture when the child is out of the car and safely at their end point,” she adds.

Be a good Samaritan

Both Dr. Bechtel and Villasenor urge bystanders to call 911 immediately if they see a kid locked in a car. “You don’t know how long that child has been in the car or how quickly it’s heating up,” Villasenor says. “Time is critical.”

It only takes a few minutes—and one small change in routine—for tragedy to strike. But with awareness and consistency, hot car deaths are entirely preventable.

Every parent and caregiver has the power to build habits that protect their children. This summer—and every day—make safety part of the routine.