How Does A Hot Car Affect Kids?

        From 1996 through 2000, more than 120 children – most of them three and younger – died from heat stroke after being trapped in a vehicle’s passenger compartment. Research conducted by General Motors revealed that these children were left behind in a closed, parked car by parents or caregivers, or that they gained access to the car on their own and could not get out.

        This is a serious public health issue, and one that is entirely preventable.

        Parents may mistakenly think that they can safely leave a child in a vehicle for a “quick” errand. Unfortunately, a delay of just a few minutes can lead to tragedy.

        Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or even death.

        For example, with the outside temperature at 80°F…car interior temperatures can reach

dangerous levels in just minutes.

        General Motors and the National SAFE KIDS Campaign want to end these needless deaths by reminding parents and caregivers about the dangers of leaving children in, or allowing them to play around cars.

Keep Your Kids Safe
 

• Teach children not to play in, on or around cars.

• Never leave a child unattended in a motor vehicle, even with a window slightly open. This applies to pets as well. On a typically sunny, summer day, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach potentially deadly levels within minutes.

• Always lock car doors and trunks – even at home – and keep keys out of children’s reach.

• Watch children closely around cars, particularly when loading or unloading. Check to ensure that all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination. Don’t overlook sleeping infants.

• Secure children correctly on every ride. Go to www.gmability.com or www.safekids.org for more information.

• If you own a 1990 or later GM passenger car, see if you can have it equipped with a trap resistant trunk kit at your nearest dealer.

• When restraining children in a car that has been parked in the heat, check to make sure seating surfaces and equipment (car seat and seat belt buckles) aren't overly hot.

For more information, visit www.gmability.com and www.safekids.org.

To learn more about us, click on Safe Kids Worldwide. To learn more about Safe Kids in your country, click on your country’s name on the list at the upper right.