Why You Should Care About Hot Car Deaths (And How to Prevent Them)

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Every year as summer approaches I see reports of children dying by being left in hot cars, and the first comment on every news article is about how a “good” parent would NEVER have let that happen. We want to assume these are bad parents because it is too painful and uncomfortable to accept that we are vulnerable to such a tragedy.

And so it keeps happening.

Why You Should Care

Statistically speaking, the more a parent insists it would “never happen to them,” the more their child is actually in danger. That’s because they don’t have a safety net. They don’t plan on themselves being an imperfect human being and as a result, are leaving safety up to chance.

While there are some cases of neglect or intent to harm in these hot car deaths, the majority of parents really did, on some level, simply forget their child was in the car.

Here’s why you should suspend your judgment: the brain does not assign importance to your memories. Essentially that means if you have ever forgotten anything in your life, you can forget your child. No one is immune. This is simply how our brains work.

{Read the remainder of this article on Oklahoma City Moms Blog, where it was originally published.}

Products with technology to help prevent vehicular heatstroke (hot car deaths):

• Car Seats with SensorSafe Technology to alert you of your child’s presence in the car seat when you turn off your car
  • Evenflo Shyft DualRide Infant Car Seat
  • Evenflo Gold Revolve360 Extend All-in-One Rotational Car Seat
  • Cybex Aton G Infant Car Seat 
  • CYBEX Sirona S with SensorSafe
  • CYBEX Eternis S with SensorSafe

• Clever Elly – A Life Saving Reminder. This device has several different reminders that sound off every time you turn off your vehicle to remind you to check the back seat. It is compatible with all cars. SIMPLE, EASY and QUICK INSTALL via your car’s power outlet.

• Cars with the Rear Seat Reminder feature such as GMC models like the Terrain, Acadia, Yukon, Canyon, and Sierra, and some models of Honda, Kia, Hyundai, and more.
• Mobile apps: The Back Seat, Waze Navigation with Child Reminder.

More resources addressing vehicular heatstroke:

• NoHeatstroke.org:  Current death toll and resources
• Heatstroke Data & Infographic
• Information Toolkits for parents and first responders
• Article:  FATAL DISTRACTION: FORGETTING A CHILD IN THE BACKSEAT OF A CAR IS A HORRIFYING MISTAKE. IS IT A CRIME?
• Article:  An epidemic of children dying in hot cars: a tragedy that can be prevented