Heatstroke Fact Sheet
In the span of 10 minutes, a car can heat up by 20 degrees,
enough to kill a child left alone in the vehicle. The U.S. Department of
Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and
other safety advocates and academic institutions have recognized the safety
threat heatstroke poses for children left unattended in hot cars. Here are the
key facts:
Heatstroke is the
leading cause of non-crash vehicle-related fatalities for children 14 and
younger.
So
far in 2018, [XX] children have died due to vehicular heatstroke, and that
number continues to rise.
From
1998-2017, 742 children died due to vehicular heatstroke. Of the 742 deaths:
54
percent (401 children) were forgotten by a caregiver;
28
percent (208 children) were playing in an unattended vehicle;
17
percent (126 children) were intentionally left in vehicle by an adult; and
1
percent (7 children) died under unknown circumstances.
In
2017, 42 children died in vehicular heatstroke incidents.
Children
are at a higher risk than adults of dying from heatstroke in a hot vehicle,
especially when they are too young to alert others for help.
A child’s body temperature
rises three to five times faster than an adult’s.
High body
temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.
Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature
reaches about 104 degrees and the thermoregulatory system is overwhelmed. A
core temperature of about 107 degrees is lethal.
In
10 minutes a car can heat up by 20 degrees. Rolling down a window does little
to keep a vehicle cool.
Heatstroke
fatalities have occurred even in vehicles parked in shaded areas and when the outside
air temperatures were 80 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
Summertime
is the peak season for these tragic incidents, but heatstroke can occur in outdoor
temperatures as low as 57 degrees. The warning signs of heatstroke vary, but
may include:
Red,
hot, and moist or dry skin
No
sweating
A
strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse
A
throbbing headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Confusion
Being
grouchy or acting strangely
It can happen to
anyone.
In
54 percent of cases, the child was forgotten by the caregiver.
In
28 percent of cases, children got into the vehicles on their own.
The
children most at-risk are those under 1 year, making up 32 percent of
heatstroke deaths.
Remember these three things:
NEVER
leave a child in a vehicle unattended.
Make
it a habit to look in the back seat EVERY time you exit the car.
ALWAYS
lock the car and put the keys out of reach.
Additional Resources
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