News & Perspectives

News & Perspectives

help prevent child hot car deaths

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As temperatures near 100°F in Boston and Mayor Marty Walsh issues a 3-day heat emergency for the city, the Children’s Trust is asking people to share a simple graphic that highlights 10 ways to help prevent child hot car deaths.

10 ways to prevent child hot car deaths

Sadly, the number of child vehicular heatstroke deaths in the U.S. this year has already surpassed last year’s total. These tragedies, however, are preventable. One major obstacle is the public misconception about how these deaths occur and the mistaken belief that certain parents are immune to the horrific nightmare of forgetting their child in a car. In fact, over half of child hot car deaths between 1998 and 2015 were children forgotten by a caregiver, according to NoHeatstroke.org. Another 29% of these incidents are from children playing in an unattended vehicle, while 17% are an adult intentionally leaving a child in the car.

These misunderstandings are part of why spreading the word about the issue, along with some of these prevention tips, is one of the most effective things we can do to save these children’s lives. For more tools and graphics to help get this message out, visit our Not Even For A Minute campaign page.