With Summer Near, Melbourne Police Reminds Public of Dangers of Children Becoming Trapped in a Hot Car
By Space Coast Daily // June 13, 2025
In 2024, 39 children died of heatstroke in vehicles
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported five heatstroke-related pediatric deaths this year after being left or forgotten in a hot vehicle, and summer hasn’t even officially begun.
It’s essential for everyone to understand that these tragedies can happen to anyone, but are always preventable.
A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s. When a child is left in a vehicle, their body temperature can rise quickly, and the situation can become dangerous rapidly.
Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees. Death occurs at a core body temperature of 107°F or above.
In 2024, 39 children died of heatstroke in vehicles, up 35% from 2023.
In 2018 and 2019, we saw a record number of hot car deaths, with 53 children dying each year. This is the most in at least 25 years, according to NoHeatstroke.org.
Prevent Hot Car Deaths
■ Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time. Rolling windows down or parking in the shade does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle.
■ Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle, especially the back seat, before locking the doors and walking away. Over 50% of pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths are a result of a parent or caregiver forgetting a child in a car.
■ 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 and fobs out of a child’s reach and teach children that a vehicle is not a play area.
Always lock your car when you aren’t using it. Even if you don’t have a child of your own, a child in your neighborhood could get into your unlocked vehicle.
Over 230 children have died from vehicular heatstroke since 1998 because they gained access to a vehicle and became trapped.
If you see a child alone in a locked car, act immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.
