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SALT LAKE CITY — In 2018, more children in the U.S. died in hot vehicles than any other year since the turn of the century, according to kidsandcars.org, a nonprofit organization that tracks fatal cases involving children left in vehicles and pushes for legislation.
The group says there have already been 13 deaths in the U.S. this year, including two over the past week. They say, on average, 38 children (ages 14 and under) have died each year from heatstroke in vehicles each year nationwide since 1990. That’s about one every nine days.
It’s why, as temperatures begin to ramp up in Utah for the summer, state health officials are reminding parents to be safe with their children when driving.
“These tragedies are happening far too often,” Cambree Applegate, director of Safe Kids Utah, a program within the Utah Department of Health, said in a statement. “They are heartbreaking and preventable, and a reminder for all of us to be aware of the dangers of leaving a child alone in a hot car.”
The last hot car death in Utah came in June 2017, when a 2-year-old child fell asleep in a van and didn’t exit with other children and adults during a family trip. Washington County sheriff’s officials determined the death was “a tragic accident.” It had reached 106 degrees in St. George that day.
But as temperatures reach the 80s and 90s across Utah now, state officials warn it can take as little as 10 minutes for the temperature within a car to reach at least 100 degrees and that can continue to rise after that. Once a child’s internal temperature reaches 104 degrees, a child’s major organs begin to shut down and the child can die when their internal temperature reaches 107, Applegate said.
State officials urge parents to think of ACT this summer. The acronym stands for:
- Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. They say parents should keep their vehicles locked at all times to help prevent children from getting in on their own.
- Create reminders, such as stuffed animals or other mementos in your car seat when it’s empty and move it to the front seat as a reminder that your child is in your back seat.
- Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Officials say emergency personnel are trained to respond to these situations and one call can save a life.
They hope that will help ensure the nationwide numbers will decline from last year’s spike.
