2021 Hot Car Deaths

[Cat Herder]

Every year children die from being left in hot cars or being left unsupervised to become trapped in hot cars.

Many providers have a policy of calling parents when a child has not arrived as usual without parent communication.

• Total number of U.S. pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths, 2020: 24
• Total number of U.S. pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths, 1998-present: 883
• Average number of U.S. child heatstroke fatalities per year 1998-2020: 38

Source: No Heat Stroke

[Cat Herder]

1

4/25/2021

Iredell County, NC

70 degrees

Girl

5 mo

5-month-old in Iredell County dies after being left in hot car; mother charged (msn.com)

"An Iredell mother has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter after deputies said she left her 5-month-old in a hot car back on Sunday, April 25. Deputies said the preliminary finding from an autopsy points to the cause of death as environmental hyperthermia. Deputies said that finding is consistent with the suspect making statements about leaving her child in a car seat, inside the car, for several hours on Sunday."

[Gemma]

You would think that by now everyone knows not to leave a child alone in the car

[Cat Herder]

And the legislators are trying to make it the car manufacturers responsibility. Crazy times. Personal accountability and responsibility seem to be out the window.

[Josiegirl]

I totally agree with the accountability comments. It's never ever their fault. I can see how once in a blue moon it might be an accident but come on.....people are so focused on their own lives, children come second, third, on a list of to-do's these days. Very sad. Keep your mind on your children. They need a responsible parent to take care of them.

[daycarediva]

I swear many of these are premeditated murder. Like the back to sleep campaign, there needs to be a 'mass awareness' program and then parents need to actually be held accountable. When it happens to a provider- it's a felony. When it happens to a parent- it's a tragic accident.

[Cat Herder]

There has been education by the DOT going back to the days of no air conditioning. What has changed is society's views on personal accountability.

[Cat Herder]

Today the Hot Cars Act was introduced.

"Washington, D.C. (May 12, 2021) – Today, U.S. Representatives Tim Ryan (D-OH-13^th) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9^th) introduced the Hot Cars Act during a virtual press conference ( view recording ), a critical piece of legislation requiring new vehicles to be equipped with inexpensive, existing technology that can detect the presence of an occupant inside when the engine is off and alert the driver and/or others to prevent hot car injuries and deaths."

Because it is car manufacturers responsibility, not the parents. I am so sick of the direction this country is going. No personal accountability or responsibilities for parents, at all anymore.

[Sparkles]

So, this makes me wonder - what happens if this technology fails, and a child dies as a result. Could the parents pass the blame onto the manufacturer? Could the parents sue?

This is absolutely ridiculous. You're right. There is no accountability and such a sense of entitlement these days.