05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2024 07:10
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urges everyone to help prevent child heatstroke fatalities by always checking their back seat and locking their vehicles before walking away. On National Heatstroke Prevention Day, NHTSA is launching a new campaign to prevent hot car deaths, Stop. Look. Lock., to educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of heatstroke and to always check a locked car before leaving.
If someone sees a child left in a hot car, they should immediately call 911. Vehicles can heat up very quickly, with temperatures rising 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes, creating a deadly situation for a child locked inside. Twenty-nine children died from vehicular heatstroke in 2023.
"The inside of a vehicle is never a safe place for a child to play or be left alone, because hot cars can be deadly for children in a matter of minutes. No one wants to think they could forget their child, but the facts show it can happen to anyone. Our Stop. Look. Lock. campaign educates and empowers parents and caregivers to make simple changes to prevent unimaginable tragedies," said Sophie Shulman, NHTSA's Deputy Administrator.
Even on a cool, 60-degree day, a child can die in a hot car. Cracking the windows or parking in the shade does little to protect a trapped child, as children's bodies warm three to five times faster than adult bodies.
NHTSA reminds the public that everyone can do their part to keep children safe:
For more information, visit NHTSA.gov/Heatstroke. The new campaign material is available on TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov.