(CBS DETROIT) – As a heat wave grips Michigan, officials are reminding parents that time is of the essence when it comes to leaving children in hot cars.
Debra Langlois, a pediatrician at Michigan Medicine, said the temperature increase can happen faster than you think.
“Cars can get hot very quickly,” she said. “In the space of about 10 minutes, a car can rise about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. And so that’s a very rapid increase in temperature. I think some families are thinking, ‘Oh gosh, if I leave the window open, that’s going to help.’ It doesn’t change the temperature of the car significantly, so a hot car is a significant hazard to our children.”
Law enforcement officers know all too well the dangers of leaving children in a sizzling vehicle.
“We have responded to some parents with the excuse that they simply go into the store and leave their children in the car, and it only takes a few seconds for children to become very sick and critical on a hot day in a hot car,” Ann said Arbor Police Lt. Corey Mills.
“When your core body temperature reaches higher degrees, related to a warm environment where you are sitting in a hot car, your body’s organs begin to shut down in the worst case scenario,” says Langlois. ‘And it can lead to serious consequences, even death. That can happen, as I’ve seen, in a matter of minutes.”
According to the National Safety Council, 29 children left in hot vehicles died of heatstroke in 2023.
Local parent Sandra Waddell said to avoid forgetting, she simply doesn’t leave her daughter in the car.
“Even if it’s just for a little while, I always take her with me,” she said. “Even though it feels uncomfortable, I always make that a priority because you never know when you’re walking away from your car that something might hold you or you might forget. And I think the most important thing is keep your baby always to you at all times just to keep you from forgetting.”
To avoid dangerous situations, some vehicles have built-in reminders when you turn off your car to check your back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reminds people:
• Never leave children alone in a car
• Keep all doors and trunks closed
• Create reminders to check the back seat
• Take action if you use a child alone in a hot car
“If you see a child, or a pet, in a car on a hot day, please call us,” Lt. Mills said. “And you can call 9-1-1 because that’s an urgent situation. We will respond, and we will respond to that child from that vehicle with whatever it takes. Unfortunately, we have broken windows before, but we take the life and health of the child or pet more seriously than material damage.”
