RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT)—Summer feels like it’s at our doorstep, with a heatwave this week and more hot temperatures forecast for the next few days.
“More than likely, we’ll be seeing hotter temperatures this summer,” 12 On Your Side meteorologist Khalil McIver said.
Last year was the hottest on record globally, according to weather experts, and this summer could be another scorcher.
As temperatures rise, it is important to remember that the inside of your vehicle will be even hotter.
Virginia is ranked 9th in the nation for the number of children who have died in hot cars, according to Kids and Car Safety.
“Every year, on average, we see about 38 children who die in hot cars,” Kids and Car Safety Director Amber Rollins said. “About 56% of those are children who are unintentionally or unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible caregiver.”
Rollins also says about a quarter of the time, it is a situation where a child climbs into a car on their own and then cannot get back out.
Parents and caregivers are often in disbelief that they could forget a child in their car.
“Because it doesn’t make sense. We love our children, and we think about them all day. And you know, how could you forget the most important thing in your world? But it really does happen to wonderful parents.”
The National Weather Service issued warnings Wednesday for everyone to lock their parked vehicles, even non-caregivers, saying: “Over 900 children have died inside hot vehicles since 1998. Some of these tragedies were due to children accessing a parked car without supervision.”
Rollins said the majority of hot car deaths involving children are due to a parent who is overtired or a change in the normal routine.
“You know, they’re driving to work,” Rollins said. “They get to work, they think they’ve dropped the child off at daycare, and they go on to work all day, only to realize when they go get them at the end of the day that they never dropped them off.”
Most are no more than three years old, and more than half are forgotten by a caregiver.
“The parents that have gone through this, they never recover,” Rollins said.
But there are some deliberate steps one can take to avoid these tragedies.
Experts say once you have your child in the car, grab something that will remind you of them, like some toys, clothes or a diaper bag. Place those items in the front seat so that they’re a constant reminder that your child is in the car.
“You can take something that you can’t start your day without and put it on the floor right in front of your child’s car seat,” Rollins said. “It could be your employee badge to get into work or your laptop, you know. It’s not that the item is more important than the child. It’s that you have to access it, and if you don’t have it, you’ll go back for it.”
Also, have your child’s daycare call you immediately if your child does not show up as scheduled.
If you have a vehicle with automatic alerts to check the backseat, don’t count on that alone.
“We’ve actually known of six children that have died in vehicles that have that warning,” Rollins said.
Officials say it only takes 10 minutes inside a hot car for it to become deadly.
“And a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult,” Rollins said.
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