The temperature inside a car can reach 150 degrees in 15 minutes if it is 100 degrees outside.  It's not just a danger during the summer months -- children and pets are vulnerable year-round. Even if the weather outside is in the 60s, the temperature inside your car can reach well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, rising almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes. This oven-effect in cars is compounded by the fact that children's bodies overheat easily - in fact, a young child's body temperature may increase three to five times as fast as an adult.

Successful lawsuits against car manufacturers led to changes in cars - new cars should have glow-in-the dark quick release handles in their trunks, so anyone trapped inside can quickly escape.  But there are a lot of older cars still on the road. 

If tragedy involving car entrapment strikes your loved one, call Plattner Verderame and ask if we can help.

Safety tips from NHTSA to prevent hyperthermia include:

  • Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
  • Do not let your children play in an unattended vehicle. Teach them that a vehicle is not a play area.
  • Never leave infants or children in a parked vehicle, even if the windows are partially open or with the engine running and the air conditioning on.
  • Make a habit of looking in the vehicle - front and back - before locking the door and walking away.
  • If you are bringing your child to daycare, and normally it's your spouse or partner who brings them, have your spouse or partner call you to make sure everything went according to plan.
  • Ask your childcare provider to call you if your child does not show up for childcare. Do things to remind yourself that a child is in the vehicle, such as: 
    • Writing yourself a note and putting the note where you will see it when you leave the vehicle;
    • Placing your purse, briefcase or something else you need in the back seat so that you will have to check the back seat when you leave the vehicle; or
    • Keeping an object in the car seat, such as a stuffed toy. When the child is buckled in, place the object where the driver will notice it when he or she is leaving the vehicle.
  • Always lock vehicle doors and trunks and keep keys out of children's reach. If a child is missing, check the vehicle first, including the trunk.
  • If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Warning signs may include: red, hot, and moist or dry skin, no sweating, a strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse, nausea or acting strangely. Cool the child rapidly. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.