On average, thirty-eight children younger than 15 die from heatstroke every year after being left in a hot vehicle. In both 2018 and 2019, a record number of 53 children died after being left unattended in steaming cars, and since 1998, 890 children have lost their lives due to vehicular heatstroke. Almost every state has experienced a hot car-related death since 1998, and pets are vulnerable too. On a ninety degree day, leaving a child or pet in a car for less than ten minutes can prove fatal, because it takes just minutes for the internal temperature of a closed vehicle–even with the windows cracked–to reach 115 degrees. With heat advisories forecast for this week, AAA reminds motorists to be especially vigilant to make sure children and pets are always safe.
AAA Northeast has created these short educational videos covering steps motorists should take to protect their children and pets.
For videos on this topic, please click links: