Florida’s ranking on how to keep children safe

Between 1998 and 2023, 110 children in Florida died from heatstroke in vehicles.
Texas leads the nation in hot car deaths, followed by Florida.
Since 1998, a total of 505 children have died as a result of being forgotten in a vehicle.

It’s only June and Florida is still seeing record high temperatures.

At least 10 records were set or tied on June 8–9, with additional records broken during Memorial Day weekend in May.

According to the National Safety Council, two children left in a vehicle have already died in 2024. Even though there have been no deaths in Florida, the statistics are still terrifying.

Each year, an average of 37 children under the age of 15 die from heatstroke left in a vehicle. Since 1998, almost every state has had at least one death. In both 2018 and 2019, a record 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle.

Here’s what you need to know about hot car accidents, also known as vehicular heatstroke, in children.

How many children died in Florida from heatstroke in vehicles?

Between 1998 and 2023, 110 children in Florida died from heatstroke in vehicles.

Texas leads the nation with 142 deaths over the same period.

The top 10 states are:

Texas: 142
Florida: 110
California: 56
Arizona: 43
Georgia, North Carolina: 40
Louisiana: 36
Alabama: 33
Tennessee, Virginia: 32

In numbers: children dying in hot cars

Where were child deaths in vehicles due to heat stroke recorded in 2024?

According to NoHeatStroke.org, child deaths in 2024 occurred:

How hot can a car interior get and how quickly?

Although most of these tragedies occur in the summer, fatalities are reported every month.

Studies have shown that vehicles become dangerously hot quickly, even when outside temperatures are moderate. At an outside ambient temperature of 72 degrees, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach 117 within 60 minutes, with 80% of the temperature increase occurring in the first 30 minutes, the National Safety Council said.

Generally, after 60 minutes, you can expect an average increase in internal temperatures of 40 degrees for ambient temperatures between 72 and 96 degrees.

How hot is dangerous inside a vehicle?

The temperature inside the vehicle can be 50 degrees higher than the temperature outside. According to Consumer Reports, even on a cold day when the outside temperature is 61 degrees, the temperature inside the car exceeded 105 degrees within an hour.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the interior of a car can cause death in less than 30 minutes on a 72-degree day.

The dangers of high temperatures are especially acute for young children because their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults’ bodies, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Heat stroke in children can occur when their internal temperature reaches around 104 degrees. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a baby can die if its internal body temperature reaches 107 degrees.

And slamming the window, parking in the shade or having a brighter car doesn’t help, says Consumer Reports.

How are children left in vehicles? How old were the children who died?

According to NoHeatStroke.org, the circumstances that lead to a child dying from heat stroke in a vehicle typically include:

52%, 505 children: Forgotten and almost half not placed in childcare.
25%, 237 children: Children entered the vehicle on their own.
21%, 200 children: Caregiver knowingly left them in the vehicle.
2%, 26 children: unknown

“The ages of children who died from vehicle-related heat stroke in the United States from 1998 to 2023 ranged from 5 days to 14 years,” according to NoHeatStroke.org.

“More than half of the deaths, 55%, were children under 2 years of age.”

Symptoms of heat stroke in children

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, symptoms of heat stroke that require immediate medical attention include:

shock
collapse
temperature above 104 degrees
fainting
convulsions
not being able to walk

“Before severe heat stroke occurs, children in hot cars suffer symptoms of heat illness, including weakness, dizziness, nausea, feeling faint, headache and increased body temperature.”

Safety tips to help keep children from dying in a hot car

NoHeatStroke.org and the U.S. Department of Transportation suggested the following tips:

Florida’s ranking on how to keep children safe

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