Hot Car Fatalities Are a Year-Round Threat to Children and Pets
CR's testing shows it doesn't take hot weather for them to wind up in danger
Parents and others must remain vigilant about the ongoing danger of children and pets dying in hot cars, because heatstroke can be a four-season threat in some parts of the country. About 38 children die each year from vehicular heatstroke, according to KidsAndCars.org and NoHeatStroke.org. Heatstroke is the leading cause of death in vehicles (excluding crashes) for those 14 and younger.
There have been 17 hot car deaths in 2022 so far. In most of these cases, the children were unknowingly left behind in the vehicle. As families prepare for the transition from summer activities to the school routine, it’s important to remember that research shows these tragedies can happen to anyone.
Last year about 38 percent of the 24 hot car deaths were kids who gained access to a vehicle on their own. In the hustle and bustle of summer activities, parents and caregivers need to be extra mindful of their children’s whereabouts. And they need to keep vehicles locked in the garage or driveway, and the keys out of children’s reach. Even if you don’t have children, it’s important to take those precautions to protect neighboring families.
If your child is missing, always remember to first check your pool, if you have one, and your vehicle, including the trunk.
CR's Test Findings
Consumer Reports conducted several temperature tests inside closed vehicles at CR’s Auto Test Track in Colchester, Conn., to better understand how rapidly rising cabin temperatures can become unsafe. The experiments were conducted with precision instruments.
On a June day when it averaged 61° F outside during the first hour of testing, the inside of a parked car reached more than 105° F.
On a July day when it averaged 78° F outside during a 1-hour test period, the inside of a lighter-colored sedan reached more than 104° F. And during the same 1-hour test period, the inside of a dark-colored sedan reached more than 109° F.
CR reported the readings at the end of an hour. But interior temperatures continued to rise as more time passed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has warned that on a 60° F day—something akin to spring weather—the temperature inside a vehicle can reach a dangerous 110° F over the course of several hours.
The threshold for heatstroke in children is when the internal body temperature reaches about 104° F. And a child is at serious risk of death if their internal body temperature reaches 107° F, according to medical experts.
Heatstroke risk is a year-round threat in some regions with mild winters, including the South and Southwest.
Car Color and Temperature
The chart below demonstrates the rise in vehicle cabin temperature when CR tested the two sedans on a July day.
Why Cars Heat Up
Closed cars get hot quickly because sunlight heats up inside elements, including the dash, upholstery, and steering wheel, according to NoHeatStroke.org. Those elements radiate their heat into the air, increasing the ambient temperature inside the car.
Why don’t cracked windows help enough? Partly opened windows allow some heat to escape, says Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, but as long as the heat source (the sun) continues to beat down and heat up the inside car elements, the temperature can stay dangerously high.
Preventive Measures
Vehicle-integrated heatstroke prevention technology has become commonplace in many brands.
In 2017, GM was the first to implement a door-logic-based rear-seat reminder. Other manufacturers, such as Acura, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, and Subaru, have followed suit. (See our guide to rear occupant alert systems for a full listing of all vehicles that have these integrated technologies available.) End-of-trip reminders provide an alert at the end of the trip. Many of these systems use door logic to recognize when a rear door has been opened before or after the vehicle has been started.
A waiver from the Federal Communications Commission to allow the use of radar technology within a vehicle’s cabin has the potential to take these systems to the next level of occupant detection. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis already offer ultrasonic sensors to detect motion in select vehicles after the driver exits and it has been locked, in addition to the door-logic reminder alert. Genesis now also offers radar technology that can detect even a sleeping child in the 2022 Genesis GV70.
CR's Take
Consumer Reports believes that automakers should integrate features that remind adults to check for children in the back seat and get the technology into as many models as they can, as soon as they can. Aftermarket products can fall short because they still depend on adults recognizing the risk and taking some sort of action.
Almost 20 automakers have demonstrated that integrated preventative solutions are possible, even if they haven’t been perfected. CR will continue to evaluate those and other technologies as they emerge, and advocate for the widespread adoption of simple, reliable, and effective back seat occupant alerts to be integrated into all new vehicles, says David Friedman, vice president of advocacy at Consumer Reports.
The AAP also endorses the integrated approach.
“Having something that is in the vehicle that is a default, that you would have to opt out of, is the right way to go about it,” says Elizabeth Murray, DO, an AAP spokesperson. “These are not people making malicious decisions to try to hurt their children. These are terrible accidents that are happening, so if we can make it default to take any human error out of it, then that is the right decision.”
Keeping Kids Safe From Hot Cars
Just how hot can the inside of a car get? On the “Consumer 101” TV show, Consumer Reports expert Emily Thomas, PhD, shows host Jack Rico how rapidly interior temperatures can rise—and what you can do to protect your kids.
