The numbers continue to rise.
At least 23 children have died after being left in a vehicle so far this year. Three other child fatalities — including one in Florida — are awaiting autopsy results.
Two of the children, a 1-year-old boy and a 10-month-old girl, died on the same day, Aug. 13, Kids and Car Safety said.
That’s quite a jump from our last story just over a month ago, when seven children had died as of July 5.
There has been one fatality in Florida.
2,024 Fatal Hot Car Crashes in Florida, US
The following hot car crash fatalities in 2024 were compiled by Kids and Car Safety, an organization founded to eliminate little-known but widespread vehicle hazards and protect children in and around vehicles.
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Richland County, South Carolina
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Bradenton, Florida
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Morgantown, West Virginia
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Santee, California
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Perry County, Mississippi
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Charlotte, North Carolina
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Marietta, Georgia
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Houston, Texas
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Little Rock, Arkansas
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Marana, Arizona
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Omaha, Nebraska
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Fairfield, Illinois
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Lakewood, New Jersey
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Monticello, New York
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East Hanover, New Jersey
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Fitzgerald, Georgia
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Milton, Vermont
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Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Cordes Lakes, Arizona
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Collegedale, Tennessee
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Vicksburg, Michigan
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Lexington, Massachusetts
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Jennings, Louisiana
More hot car deaths remain to be determined pending autopsy results
How many children have died in Florida from heat stroke in a vehicle?
Between 1990 and 2023, 118 children in Florida were killed by overheated cars.
Texas tops the list with 155 deaths in the same period.
The top 10 states are:
Can parents in Florida be charged if they leave their child locked in a car?
Under Florida law, it is a second-degree felony to leave a child under the age of 6 unattended in a motor vehicle for more than 15 minutes.
If the engine is running, the child’s health is at risk or appears to be in distress, the caregiver may be fined $50 to $500.
Any person who violates the law and thereby causes serious bodily injury, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement to a child commits a felony of the third degree.
In numbers: Child deaths from hot cars
How hot can it get in a car and how quickly?
Although most of these tragedies occur in the summer, deaths have occurred in every month.
Research has shown that vehicles can quickly become dangerously hot, even when the outside temperature is moderate. At an outside temperature of 72 degrees, the internal temperature of the vehicle can reach 117 degrees in 60 minutes, with 80 percent of the temperature increase occurring in the first 30 minutes, according to the National Safety Council.
In general, one can expect an average increase of 40 degrees in indoor temperature after 60 minutes, with an ambient temperature between 72 and 96 degrees.
How hot is dangerous in a vehicle?
The temperature inside a car can be 50 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. Even on a cool day, when the outside temperature is 61, the inside temperature of a car has reached more than 105 within an hour, according to Consumer Reports.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the interior of a car on a 72-degree day can be deadly in as little as 30 minutes.
The danger of high temperatures is especially great for young children, because their bodies warm up three to five times faster than those of adults, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Heatstroke in children can occur when their core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees. A child can die if their internal body temperature reaches 107 degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
And opening the window, parking in the shade or having a lighter car doesn’t help either, according to Consumer Reports.Related content list (ID: 73892033007)
How do children get into vehicles? How old were the children who died?
According to NoHeatStroke.org, the conditions that lead to a child dying from heatstroke in a vehicle most often include:
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52%, 505 children: They were forgotten, almost half were not dropped off at daycare.
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25%, 237 children: Children gained access to the vehicle on their own.
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21%, 200 children: They were deliberately left in the car by a caregiver.
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2%, 26 children: Unknown
According to NoHeatStroke.org, children who died from traffic-related heat stroke in the United States between 1998 and 2023 ranged in age from 5 days to 14 years.
“More than half of the deaths, 55%, are children under 2 years of age.”
Signs of heat stroke in children
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the following symptoms of heat stroke are necessary and require immediate medical attention:
“Before children in hot cars develop severe heatstroke, they often experience symptoms of heat illness, such as weakness, dizziness, nausea, fainting, headaches and elevated body temperature.”
Safety Tips to Prevent Children from Dying in a Hot Car
NoHeatStroke.org and the U.S. Department of Transportation have suggested the following tips:
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Never leave children unattended in a vehicle, even for a minute.
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Always check the backseat. Leave your wallet or purse behind as a reminder.
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Ask your childcare provider to call you if your child does not arrive on time.
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Always keep vehicles locked and keys out of reach.
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Keep car keys out of reach of children and teach children that a vehicle is not a play space.
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Call 911 if you see a child alone in a vehicle.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Child hot car deaths. Florida is #2. Know the law
