Statistics
| Outside Temperature | Temperature in Car |
|---|---|
| 75°F | 100°F in 10 minutes |
| 75°F | 120°F in 30 minutes |
| 85°F | 90°F in 5 minutes |
| 85°F | 100°F in 7-10 minutes |
| 85°F | 120°F in 30 minutes |
| 100°F | 140°F in 15 minutes |
source: LOOK Before You LEAVE Campagin
- At least 300 children have died of hyperthermia (heat stroke) from 1998-2006, according to researchers at the San Francisco State University Department of Geosciences (ggweather.com/heat).
- When children are trapped inside of cars, they can suffer heat exhaustion or hyperthermia, leading to permanent disability or death in a matter of minutes. Hyperthermia can cause shock, seizures, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys (LOOK Before You LEAVE Campagin). Even if the child survives hyperthermia, permanent injury is a common outcome.
- Rapidly rising temperatures are particularly dangerous for children because a child's core body temperature increases three to five times faster than that of an adult's (ggweather.com/heat).
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should never be left alone in a car, as temperatures can reach deadly levels in minutes (aap.org).
- Heatstroke occurs when the core body temperature reaches 104°, and a core body temperature of 107° is considered lethal (ggweather.com/heat).