Kids left in hot cars can die from heatstroke, says CDOT

(COLORADO) — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) wants to make the public aware of the dangers of heatstroke this summer. According to data at NoHeatStroke.org , 971 children have died in hot cars since 1998 as a result of Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH).

CDOT is providing information that will help people avoid this tragic consequence, which is often caused by a caregiver unintentionally leaving the child for too long in a hot car. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise very quickly to unsafe levels—up to 150 degrees in 30 minutes.

“Running inside for a quick errand does not justify leaving someone unsupervised in a vehicle,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “Time away from your vehicle can be unpredictable. Short errands can quickly turn into long lines or unforeseen delays. Parking in the shade or cracking a window will not prevent the interior of a car from becoming dangerously hot.”

According to CDOT, last summer (2023) there were 134 days over 80 degrees in Grand Junction, 100 days over 80 degrees in Denver, 96 days over 80 degrees in Fort Collins, and 89 days over 80 degrees in Colorado Springs. The summer of 2024 is predicted to be hot and dry.

Children are especially at risk, as a child’s body temperature will rise three to five times faster than an adult’s. Older adults and those with disabilities are also at risk, as they may not be able to exit the car on their own. If you notice a person in a car who looks distressed, dehydrated, or flushed, attempt to provide help and/or call 911 immediately.

If the car is locked and the person inside is in immediate danger, it is lawful to do what is necessary to enter the car to rescue them. In 2017, Colorado passed legislation that protects Coloradans from civil and criminal liability if they forcibly enter a locked vehicle to provide aid to an at-risk person or animal.

“The best way to protect the most vulnerable passengers from vehicular heatstroke injury is to put a system in place to double-check the back seat, or ‘Look Before you Lock’ every time,” said Britney Lombard, CPST-I, Injury Prevention Manager, Children’s Hospital Colorado. “It’s always worth the extra few seconds to ensure the back seat is clear.”

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