Hot Cars Can be Deadly

On average, 37 children die of heat stroke each year after being left in a hot car, according to While it may be hard to imagine, many deaths have occurred when over-stressed parents forgot that their children were in the backseat.

These hot-car tragedies often occur when there is a change in driver’s routine, stress or a sleeping baby in the back and a parent or caregiver forgets that a child is in the car. Some knowingly leave children “just for a minute” not realizing how quickly the temperature in a car can rise to dangerous levels. Even if it is only 70 degrees outside, a car can quickly heat to more than 120 degrees.

Jennifer Stockburger, Consumer Reports’ Director of Operations at our Auto Test Center, said researchers are working on devices such as weight sensors or heartbeat monitors to detect the presence of a child in the backseat, but nothing currently exists to warn the driver that a child has been left behind.

This summer, provide your customers with these tips to help avert a heartbreaking catastrophe and make sure no child is left behind in a vehicle:

• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, not even for a minute. In addition to being dangerous, it is against the law in many states.








This article originally appeared on MSN.

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