According to the prevention website KidsAndCars.org, more than 1,050 children have died since 1990 after they were left inside devastatingly hot vehicles across the United States.
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An average of 35 toddlers die in hot cars every year, according to an analysis of Kids and Car Safety data, and almost 90% of children who die are 3 or younger. Most were unknowingly left by a parent or caregiver.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 18 children have died from being left in hot cars so far in 2024. Thirteen of those deaths occurred in July alone.
Is it legal to save a child from a hot car?
Yes. According to a blogpost from a Houston-based attorney group called Texas Criminal Defense Group, the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code has been amended to protect individuals from facing lawsuits or penalties for causing damage to a car that is necessary to save a trapped person.
In a 2021 interview with Sgt. Stephen Woodard of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Woodard said that it is paramount to contact law enforcement before you decide to break into a car to save a child. Communicating the details of the situation to emergency responders beforehand is paramount to protecting both you and the victim.
If breaking a car window is your only course of action, it’s important to break a window as far away from the trapped individual as possible, so they are not injured by shattered glass or other debris.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also provided the following tips for parents/caregivers to ensure this never happens to them.
- Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended — even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running, and the air conditioning is on.
- Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle — front and back — before locking the door and walking away. Train yourself to Park, Look, Lock, or always ask yourself, “Where’s my baby?”
- Ask your childcare provider to call if your child doesn’t show up for care as expected.
- Place a personal item like a purse or briefcase in the back seat, as another reminder to look before you lock. Write a note or place a stuffed animal in the passenger’s seat to remind you that a child is in the back seat.
- Store car keys out of a child’s reach and teach children that a vehicle is not a play area.
“In over half of hot car deaths, the person responsible for the child’s death unknowingly left them in the vehicle. In most situations, this happens to the most loving, caring, and protective parents. It has happened to a teacher, dentist, social worker, police officer, nurse, clergyman, soldier, and even a rocket scientist. It can happen to anyone…”