Hot Car Deaths: How Many Kids Have Died In Maryland

MARYLAND — Twenty-four children have died in hot cars so far this year, including a 2-year-old who died Monday after he was left inside a day care van. Since 1990, more than 900 children have died in hot cars, including 14 in Maryland, according to national statistics.

During an average year, 39 children die of vehicular heatstroke — or one every nine days, according to Kids and Cars, a national advocacy group that is lobbying Congress to require the automobile industry to adopt new technology to help prevent vehicular heatstroke. Last year was the deadliest for hot car deaths, with 52 fatalities.

Kids die in hot cars most often in hot-weather states like Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, and Georgia — which, respectively, have recorded 129, 97, 58, 42 and 37 hot car deaths since 1990. Only two states, Alaska and Vermont, haven't recorded a single pediatric vehicular heatstroke death during the two decades the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been keeping track.

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The agency has designated July 31 as National Heatstroke Prevention Day to bring awareness to the problem.

"Heatstroke isn't about irresponsible people intentionally leaving children in cars," the agency said. "Most cases occur when a child is mistakenly left or gets into a vehicle unattended and becomes trapped."

In many cases, a parent completely loses awareness that the child is in the car, according to David Diamond, professor of psychology, molecular pharmacology, and physiology at the University of South Florida who has studied the hot car deaths phenomenon for 15 years.

His research shows parents can forget their kids are in the car as a result of competition among the brain's memory systems — the "habit memory" system that allows people to rotely perform routine tasks without thinking about them, and the "prospective memory" system used to plan. The habit memory system typically prevails, and the problem is particularly acute among parents experiencing sleep deprivation or stress, according to Diamond.

"Often these stories involve a distracted parent," Gene Brewer, an Arizona State University associate professor of psychology, said. "Memory failures are remarkably powerful, and they happen to everyone. There is no difference between gender, class, personality, race, or other traits. Functionally, there isn't much of a difference between forgetting your keys and forgetting your child in the car."

However, in some cases, "I forgot" is just a ruse.

In 2016, Justin Ross Harris of Marietta, Georgia was convicted of murder in the death his 22-month-old son, Cooper. He was left in a hot car for seven hours in 2014 while Harris went to work. According to testimony at his trial, Harris' web searches revealed that he longed for a "child-free lifestyle."

Twenty-one states currently have laws regulating children who are left unattended in vehicles: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

In Maryland, it is a crime to leave a child younger than 8 years old unattended or locked in a car without proper supervision, which must be by a reliable person at least 13 years old. This is punishable by fines or imprisonment.

Bipartisan legislation before Congress — the Hot Cars Act of 2019 — would require that all new cars are equipped with a system that detects and alerts drivers to the presence of a child unknowingly left in a vehicle. Sponsors are Reps. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, both Democrats, and Republican Rep. Peter King of New York.

Similar legislation in the Senate is sponsored by Sens. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Maria Cantwell of Washington, both Democrats.

Kids and Cars says the proposed legislation has broad support from public health, safety, and consumer organizations, law enforcement and first responders, animal protection groups, and others.

"No one thinks a hot car tragedy can happen to them or their family. That is precisely why technology is necessary. The fact that technology exists to save the lives of children, but is not being included in all new vehicles is inconceivable," Janette Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, said. "I am heartbroken knowing that families are holding their precious children right now that will no longer have them by the end of summer."

Newer vehicles already have chimes and alerts to remind drivers headlights have been left on, keys were left in the ignition, and doors are ajar. Adding alerts and chimes to remind drivers of a child in the back set "will save the lives of some of our most vulnerable passengers," Cathy Chase, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said.

"Unfortunately we have learned that public education alone cannot overcome the serious risk of children being unknowingly left in hot cars," Chase said. "That is why it is so critical that vehicles be equipped with a detection and alert system so that drivers and caregivers are reminded of the presence of a child in the back seat, as the Hot Cars Act would require."

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers says it is carefully reviewing the proposed legislation, but has pointed out that fewer than 13 percent of new car buyers have a child who is 6 years old or younger.

"The loss of any life is tragic, and greater awareness and vigilance are absolutely crucial to help save young lives, right now, this week," the organization said, pointing out that it takes about two decades for technological improvements to reach all passenger vehicles on the roads today. "Greater public awareness saves lives today."

Cars can heat up quickly, even on mild days, and can become deadly in as little as 10 minutes, Jan Null, an adjunct professor and research meteorologist at San Jose State University, told Patch in an email. It's never OK to leave a child unattended in a car, Null said.

Null's research shows that on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside can reach 89 degrees within five minutes. Within an hour, it can reach 113 degrees.

It's even worse on 90-degree days. Within five minutes, the temperature can reach 100 degrees; in an hour, it can reach 133 degrees.

Consumer Reports said its tests show temperatures inside cars can reach dangerous levels of children and pets within an hour. One test showed that when the temperature outside was 61 degrees, the temperature inside reached more than 105 degrees within an hour.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers some tips for parents:

• Look before you lock: Get into the routine of always checking the back seats of your vehicle before you lock it and walk away.
• Leave yourself a gentle reminder: Get in the habit of keeping a stuffed toy or other momento in your child's car seat, then move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when the baby is in the back seat. Or, place your phone, briefcase or purse in the back seat when traveling with your child.
• Get in the practice of routine checks: If someone else is driving your child, or your daily routine has been altered, make a call to make sure the child arrived safely at the destination.
• Keep your keys out of children's reach: Nearly three in 10 heatstroke deaths happen when an unattended child gains access to a vehicle, the agency said.