Every year young children pass away from being left in hot cars because

• They are forgotten in the backseat. Children go through periods of the day where they are very quiet because they are well-fed, tired, etc. Without that audible reminder that there is a person in the back seat, parents can sometimes be consumed by stress from their life that they forget that their child is sitting in the backseat. Younger children that are left in a hot car may not know how to exit the vehicle if the temperature becomes dangerously hot. Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend how quickly vehicles can heat up, especially if the temperature is moderate outside.
• They are intentionally left because it doesn’t seem like a long time to leave them. Some parents may be running to the grocery store or the bank thinking that they will be in and out in a few minutes, but sometimes that’s not always the case. Different situations can always arise which can add minutes onto your trip and even though it might not feel like a long time to you, the temperature in the car is constantly rising.
• They gain access to a vehicle without their parent knowing. Once children can walk they become very intrigued by their surroundings and they want to explore as much as possible. If car keys are easily accessible to children or the doors of the car are left unlocked, children may be looking to explore there. However, they could accidentally lock themselves inside or forget how to exit the car.

This is an issue that everyone is aware of, yet children are still passing away because it is not discussed enough and precautions are not always taken.

The video below was created by kidsandcars.org. It discusses how this could happen to anyone regardless of background. In addition, it discusses how this problem is being fixed.