The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reminded parents that May 1 was National Heatstroke Prevention Day, noting that parents and caregivers should remember the dangers young children face when riding in a hot car.
The risk faced by leaving a child in a car is much more significant when the weather is hot because the heat inside the car can quickly grow to dangerous levels, which can lead to the child suffering a heat stroke in the car.
“An average of 38 children die from heatstroke in hot vehicles each year,” Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA deputy administrator, said in a recent NHTSA press release. “Many deaths happen because the morning routine is different — for example, a caregiver taking a child to daycare who typically doesn’t do the drop off. We are asking all caregivers to look before they lock because changes in daily routines can lead to tragedy in just minutes.”
The NHTSA sponsors “Where’s Baby? Look Before You Lock,” a $3 million campaign to remind parents and drivers about the dangers of leaving children in a hot vehicle. Young children are at greater risk for heat stroke because their smaller bodies don’t take as long to heat up, and they don’t need as much heat for damage to be done.
