Heat Exposure Inside Cars can Lead to Heatstroke and Heat Exhaustion

Problem:
More than 30 children die every year from heatstroke (hyperthermia) because they are left in unattended vehicles on warm days.  Leaving a child in a car may not have been intentional, but no matter how it happens, it can be very deadly, very fast.

Statistics:
Between 2000-2009 approximately 500 children lost their lives due to heat-related illness that occurred inside a vehicle. 51% of these cases happened after the child was "forgotten" by the parent or caretaker.  Another 30% died after the child was left to play in an unattended vehicle.  And 18% died after the parent left the child in the car intentionally while running an errand, etc.

(Heat-related disasters happen quickly inside vehicles--leaving your child in the car for a few minutes while running into the store can be deadly.  Even cool days, with temperatures in the 60 degree range, can cause the interior of a car to rise in temperatures above 110 degrees very quickly. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise 20 degrees or more within the first 10 minutes after the vehicle is turned off.)  

Heatstroke and Heat Exhaustion Prevention Tips:
• Never leave a child unattended inside vehicle for any amount of time
• Do not allow children to play in a vehicle that is unattended
• If you have children, make sure you check the front and back seats of your vehicle every time before locking it
• If your routine is altered and you would not normally have your child in the vehicle at a certain time, remind yourself  that a child is in the vehicle by using the following:
      Write a note and place the note where you will see it before leaving the vehicle
      Place an item in the backseat you have to have before leaving the car
•Keep the vehicle doors and trunk locked, secured and keep the keys away from the child’s reach
•If you see a child that has been left in a vehicle, call the police ASAP 

What you need to know:
• The inside of vehicles get hot very quickly. Even if a window is rolled down a few inches, with outside temps near the 80s, the inside vehicle temps can reach deadly levels within 10 minutes!
• Children overheat much easier than adults, especially infants and children under the age of 4
• Children absorb more heat than an adult on a hot day, and children also are not able to cool their body by sweating as easily as an adult
• A child's boy heat increases much faster than that of an adult’s body. In a hot car, this increase  at a rate of 3-5 times faster
•High body temperatures cause permanent injury and death 

Symptoms of Extreme Heat Exposure:
Common signs of heatstroke or heat exhaustion can include red, hot, moist or dry skin, lack of sweating, an abnormally high or low pulse, dizziness, nausea, confusion and abnormal mood.