Where do hot car deaths happen the most? Data reveals where (and when) it's most common.
These high temperatures can bring dangerous health risks for children. Each year, heatstroke claims the lives of nearly 40 children in cars, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to KidsandCars.org, at least 1,132 children have died from heatstroke over the last 35 years because they were forgotten or trapped in a hot vehicle. There have been seven hot car deaths this year, according to KidsandCars.org. The most recent death occurred in June in North Carolina.
Hot car deaths occur most often throughout the summer
The most hot-car incidents occur from May through September. Children have died in cars every month of the year, although June, July, and August are the most common months.
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More: His dad went to a bar. He died in a hot car. Father charged in 18-month-old son's death
Most hot-car deaths are accidental
Being stressed can increase your likelihood of memory lapses that lead to leaving your child in a car, according to a prominent cognitive neuroscience expert who has researched the function of memory in such tragedies.
David Diamond, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, told Consumer Reports recently, "Forgetting a child is not a negligence problem but a memory problem."
'The most common response is that only bad or negligent parents forget kids in cars,' Diamond says. 'It's a matter of circumstances. It can happen to everyone.'
A heatstroke fact sheet (PDF link here) provided by KidsandCars.org highlights how broad the range of caregivers involved in these accidents is. They include: fathers, mothers, sitters, social workers, police officers, nurses and members of the armed services.
Where are the majority of U.S. hot car deaths
Texas leads the nation with 160 hot car deaths, according to KidsandCarSafety.org.
Car temperatures can climb fast
Cars can heat up quickly; interior temperatures can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes. Even if it's only in the 60s outside, the temperature inside a car can reach 110 degrees.
Examples of interior heat based on a 95-degree day:
Safety tips to prevent hot car deaths
To prevent putting children at risk, Kids and Cars recommends the following safety tips:
◾Create a visual cue: Place a favorite toy in the car seat when it's empty. When you put your child in the car seat, move the toy to the front passenger seat as a reminder to check the back seat before leaving the car.
◾Create a reminder to check the back seat.
◾Make sure you have a strict policy in place with your child care provider to call you immediately if your child doesn't show up as planned.
◾Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in driveways or garages. Ask home visitors, child care providers and neighbors to do the same.
◾Keep car keys and remote openers out of reach of children.
◾Teach toddlers how to honk the horn of a car if they become trapped inside.
◾Never leave children alone in or around cars, not even for a minute.
◾If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
CONTRIBUTING Sarah Fowler/USA TODAY NETWORK
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