The Dangers of Summer Heat Stress in Vehicles

Monday, June 21, 2021 Jade Salzman

Welcome Summer, Welcome Heat! Seems like we skipped spring and went right into summer, with this heat blasting us! But with heat comes a lot more to be aware of. Kids and pets being left in hot cars is something everyone has heard or read about. According to KidsAndCars.org nearly 1,000 children have died from being left in hot cars nationwide since 1990. That’s an average of 39 deaths per year (1 every 9 days). The chart below shows the number of child deaths that were recorded by year for the last five years.

Child Hot Car Deaths by Year
2021	2 YTD
2020	25
2019	53
2018	54
2017	45

Not only are children left in hot cars, but pets are too. The chart below shows the number of pet deaths that were recorded by year for the last 4 years. Remember these are the only ones that were reported, most almost certainly aren’t.

Pet Hot Car Deaths by Year
2021	3 YTD
2020	31
2019	53
2018	60

The inside of a car can have temperatures spike from 80 degrees to 94.3 degrees in two minutes. With that being said, within an hour a car temperature could reach 120 degrees with the outside temperature being only 80 degrees. Take a look at the chart below to see just how quickly a car can heat up…

Elapsed Time	Outside Air Temperature (F)
0 Minutes	70	75	80	85	90	95
10 Minutes	89	94	99	104	109	114
20 Minutes	99	104	109	114	119	124
30 Minutes	104	109	114	119	124	129
40 Minutes	108	113	118	123	128	133
50 Minutes	111	116	121	126	131	136
60 Minutes	113	118	123	128	133	138
> 1 Hour	115	120	125	130	135	140

Ways to help prevent these accidents from happening:

Always check your backseat before leaving your car.
If you’re going somewhere and you can’t bring your pet or child with you don’t bring them at all. Leaving the windows cracked, parking in the shad or leaving water for a pet WON’T prevent them from overheating.
If you are in a situation where you can leave your car running with the A/C on, always do so when safe.
If you see an animal or child left in a car, call 911. Wait until police arrive and write down the car’s make, model, and license plate number.
- If authorities are unresponsive or too slow to respond and the animal’s/child’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness who will back up your assessment before carefully removing the animal/child from the car and carrying him or her into the shade. Wait with the animal/child until authorities arrive.
Make yourself aware of symptoms of heatstroke and take action if you see them.

For more information on this topic you can visit the links below: