Florida leads US in hot car deaths for children. What can parents, car manufacturers do?
Heatstroke is the most serious heat-related illness and a child left in a hot car can die within minutes.
When heatstroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106 degrees or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency treatment.
As of July 19, five children between the ages of 11 months and 2 years have died in Florida from what's formally called pediatric vehicular heatstroke.
Twelve children across the U.S. have died during the same time period, with Florida leading the country. Two deaths have occurred in Texas, followed by one each in Idaho, Mississippi, Washington, New York and Alabama, according to noheatstroke.org.
Heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles
In 2022, 33 children died of heatstroke in vehicles, according to noheatstroke.org.
In both 2018 and 2019 a record number of 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle, according to the National Safety Council.
Total number of Florida pediatric vehicle heatstroke deaths, 2023: 5
Total number of U.S. pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths, 2023: 12
Total number of Florida pediatric vehicle heatstroke deaths, 1998-2022: 102
Total number of U.S. pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths, 1998-July 14, 2023: 952
Average number of U.S. child heatstroke fatalities per year 1998-2022: 38
Florida heatstroke deaths of children in 2023
Port St. Lucie. March 6, 2-year-old boy. Outside temperature 84.
Prosperity. May 16, 2-year-old girl. Outside temperature 92.
Palm Bay. May 28. 11-month-old girl. Outside temperature 85.
Orange City. June 8. 2-year-old girl. Outside temperature 91.
Lakeland. July 5. 18-month-old girl. Outside temperature 93.
USA Today Network-Florida records indicate a sixth death was reported June 11 of a baby left in a car in Tavares.
Children and heatstroke
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.
A child can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees.
In 2022, 33 children died of heatstroke in vehicles.
In 2018 and 2019, there were a record number of hot car deaths — 53 children died each year — the most in at least 25 years, according to NoHeatstroke.org.
How can such a thing happen?
Jan Null, of the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University, has been tracking U.S. child vehicular heatstroke deaths since 1998. His research indicates that in more than half of these fatalities, the child was forgotten in the vehicle by a parent or caregiver.
There are two main ways children die in hot cars, according to Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety:
Kids are unknowingly or accidentally left inside.
Kids get into vehicles on their own, without their parents or other adults knowing.
Is the auto industry doing anything to prevent hot car deaths?
In 2019, several automakers made a voluntary commitment to install rear seat reminder systems in new vehicles to help combat pediatric heatstroke of children left in a vehicle, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Participating manufacturers committed to installing these rear seat reminder systems as standard equipment beginning on either Sept. 1, 2024, or for model year 2025 vehicles (depending upon the individual manufacturer production schedules).
Today, there are several types of rear seat systems available. One includes an end-of-trip reminder once the vehicle has been turned off that provides a visual and audible alert to the driver when occupants may be in the rear seat.
Another technology is designed to detect motion in the rear row of the vehicle and provide similar alerts to the driver.
Department of Transportation has until November to finalize rule on driver alert system
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021 requires the U.S. Department of Transportation to finalize a rule by November 2023 mandating that new vehicles be equipped with a system to alert drivers to check rear-designated seats for children when the engine is shut off.
Fennell said that the law includes a provision that addresses hot car tragedies by requiring an "audio and visual reminder alert to check the back seat" in new passenger vehicles. But Fennell said the provision does not specify the requirement for the system to detect a child alone in a vehicle.
Saving children from hot car deaths: Hot car death season in the US is underway. What can be done to save children?
Without detection, Fennell said a system will be inadequate. She said that reminder alert alone "falls short" of what's necessary to prevent hot car deaths and other injuries, "creating a false sense of security" for families.
Fennell said the current cost for rear-seat detection is around $50.
"Every day this effective technology is not included in our vehicles, we are failing our children and their loved ones," Fennell said. "We’ve got to get this technology in vehicles to give us, our children, a chance."
Last year, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group representing about 40 automakers and suppliers said that more than 150 vehicle models now have a rear seat reminder system as standard or optional equipment. The equipment can include either an end-of-trip reminder or occupant sensing.
What is a rear seat reminder system?
A rear seat reminder system is designed to remind a vehicle’s driver that a child, pet or something else might be in the back seat. It activates when the driver opens one of the vehicle’s rear doors before driving and issues a driver information center message or audible alert when the driver stops, puts the vehicle in park, and turns off the engine, according to J.D. Power and car manufacturers.
This approach is used by GM vehicles, and a rear seat reminder system is reportedly standard in all 2020 Buick Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC models.
It's also found on several Nissan vehicles. Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Honda, and Nissan have announced that all of their passenger vehicles will have a rear seat reminder as standard equipment in the future, according to J.D. Power.
Hyundai offers an upgrade to its door-sequencing rear occupant alert system for the 2020 Palisade and Santa Fe with a motion detection system with an ultrasonic sensor that can detect motion inside of the vehicle for up to 24 hours.
If motion is detected, it automatically flashes the vehicle’s headlights, honks the horn, and sends the owner a text message or email through the Blue Link connected services system.
Hyundai says that by 2022, most of its models will standardize the rear seat reminder system, with the motion sensor available as an add-on feature for more of their vehicles. Kia reportedly offers the ultrasonic 24-hour motion sensor as standard equipment for the Telluride SUV.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers estimates that by 2025 98% of cars in the U.S. will have rear seat reminder systems as standard equipment.
What vehicles have rear seat alert systems?
Consumer Reports offers a list of vehicles built from 2017 to 2022 to compare what systems are available by brand and model.
What is heatstroke?
Heatstroke can occur if the core body temperature rises to 104 degrees or higher.
A core temperature of 107 is considered potentially lethal.
A child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
What are the symptoms of heatstroke?
Symptoms of heatstroke include:
Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
Loss of consciousness
Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
Seizures
Very high body temperature
Fatal if treatment delayed
What kind of first aid do you give someone suffering from heatstroke?
Take the following steps to treat someone with heat stroke:
Call 911 for emergency medical care.
Stay with the person until emergency medical services arrive.
Move the person to a shaded, cool area and remove outer clothing.
Cool the person quickly, using the following methods:
With a cold water or ice bath, if possible
Wet the skin
Place cold wet cloths on the skin, especially on the head, neck, armpits, and groin.
Soak clothing with cool water
Circulate the air around the person to speed cooling.
How to prevent deaths in hot cars
Shoe trick: Shoe trick will prevent child deaths in hot cars
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.
Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle — especially the back seat — before locking the doors and walking away.
Ask your childcare provider to call if your child doesn’t show up as expected.
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.
Store car keys out of a child's reach and teach children that a vehicle is not a play area.
Contributor: Terry Collins
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Hot car deaths in Florida, US. How do rear seat reminder systems work?
