SAFETY: In 2018, 52 children died in hot cars, making it the deadliest year on record in the last 20 years.

As warmer weather fast approaches, Safe Kids Worldwide and the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) are joining together to raise awareness about the importance of child reminder technology and the need for increased public education around the dangers of leaving children in hot cars.

“Nearly 800 children have died in hot cars over the last 20 years, and each of those deaths was preventable,” said Safe Kids Worldwide president Torine Creppy.

“It is critical that parents and caregivers understand that it only takes a few minutes for a car to heat up and become deadly to a child inside,” said Tina Martin, Coordinator of Safe Kids PA — McKean County. “As summer temperatures rise, more kids are at risk.”

Heatstroke, also known as hyperthermia, is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children. It occurs when the body can’t cool itself quickly enough and the body temperature rises to dangerous levels. Young children are particularly at risk since their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults’ bodies. A car can heat up 19 degrees in 10 minutes and cracking a window does not help.

To help protect kids from this preventable tragedy, remember to ACT:

A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not inside so kids don’t get in on their own.

C: Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other mementos in your child’s car seat when it’s empty and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Or place and secure your phone, briefcase, or purse in the back seat when traveling with your child.

T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. One call could save a life.