Hot Car Deaths in Florida
A recent report released by Consumer Reports proves that hot car deaths are not a summer problem. Hot car deaths are a year-round danger for children in Florida and throughout the United States. Parents and caregivers need to be aware of the danger of vehicular heatstroke. Our Broward County child injury attorneys review several tips for avoiding hot car debts in this blog.
Hot Cars are Dangerous for Children
Consumer Reports tested vehicles to determine how quickly the temperature in a vehicle can reach deadly extremes. According to the results of its testing, the temperature inside a closed vehicle can reach 105° F in just one hour even when it is 61° F degrees outside. According to the National Security Council (NSC), when it is 85° F degrees outside, it only takes 10 minutes for the temperature in a car to reach 104° F degrees. After 20 minutes, the temperature in the vehicle can reach 114° F degrees.
As of August 2019, thirty-four children have died in hot cars in the United States. An average of thirty-eight children die annually from vehicular heatstroke. During 2018, a record number of children (53) died from heat-related illnesses after being left in a motor vehicle.
Preventing Hot Car Deaths
It seems unthinkable that a parent or caregiver would forget that a child was in a vehicle. However, over one-half of the hot car deaths each year are because a child was forgotten and left in a vehicle. Almost one-quarter of the hot car deaths resulted from a child gaining access to a vehicle.
One of the deadliest mistakes a parent or caregiver can mistake regarding hot car death is to believe that it can never happen to them. With that in mind, let’s review some of the top tips for helping parents and caregivers prevent hot car deaths:
- Always check your vehicle before you exit. The NSC suggests that you make it a habit to open the rear doors to your vehicle each time you exit the car. If you make it a habit to open the rear door, you are less likely to forget about a child in the back seat.
- Place something you need in the rear seat when you place a child in a vehicle. Leaving your keys, cell phone, wallet, laptop, security badge, shoe, or other item on the rear seat with your child means you need to look in the back seat to retrieve the item thereby helping you avoid forgetting a child is in the car.
- Place a large stuffed animal in the front seat when you have a child in the rear seat.
- Consider installing technology that reminds you to look in the rear seat each time the vehicle is shut off or a door is opened.
- Set alarms on your cell phone to remind you when your child should be at school, an appointment, or an activity. The alarm reminds you if you forget so that you check the vehicle to make sure your child is not in the car at that time.
- Ask your child’s teacher or caregiver to call you if your child is ever late.
- Always look at all areas of your vehicle before you lock your vehicle. Place the keys in a location that is not accessible for children to prevent access to the vehicle by children.
The NSC provides a free online training course to educate parents and caregivers about hot car deaths. Completing the course can give you additional tips and information that can help prevent childhood vehicular heatstroke. Preventing death and injury to children from hot cars is something that all adults need to take seriously throughout the entire year.
Contact a Florida Child Injury Attorney for Help
An injury to a child is heartbreaking, especially when the injury was preventable. If your child has been injured in an accident, your child could be entitled to compensation for his or her injuries and damages. It is important to take steps to protect your child’s legal rights when he or she is injured by the negligence or wrongdoing of another party.
Mr. Cohen has exclusively represented seriously injured individuals, and the families of those whose deaths were caused due to the negligence of others, since 1990. Mr. Cohen has resolved thousands of cases over his 20+ years of practice ranging from the families of victims of wrongful death, to individuals who sustain whiplash injuries in an automobile accident.
The Plantation child injury attorneys of Cohen and Juda can help you file insurance claims and injury lawsuits to hold parties responsible for your child’s injury liable for their actions.
Call 954-424-1440 now to speak with someone about your personal injury claim or go online to schedule your free consultation with a child injury attorney in Broward County.
Cohen and Juda P.A.
8211 W Broward Blvd, Suite 310
Plantation, FL 33324
954-424-1440
© Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved.
