Deaths in Hot Cars Nearly Tripled in USA this Year

June 30, 2016, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

It gets hot inside cars in the summer. So hot that people can die, and that others bake in their cars.

The fact that three times as many children have died in cars this year than last is terrible. This disturbing trend has been in the news lately. It seems that in America hot car deaths have almost tripled this year and we haven’t even gotten to the warmest part of the summer. It's been a deadly year for children left behind in hot cars with 11 cases of hot car deaths reported so far this year. These cases usually occur when the child has fallen asleep and the parents forget the children are in the car. In some cases it has been attributed to distraction by the driver and sleep deprivation.

It doesn’t take long for cars to reach extreme temperatures in the sun. When the windows are rolled up a young child has no chance of survival. According to experts at General Motors of Canada, when a previously air conditioned car is left in the 35’C sun with the windows up it will be 50’C within 20 minutes and can reach 65’C within 40 minutes. Leaving a window open a ‘crack’ doesn’t really help the situation as even with all windows wide open cars become very hot in full sun.

Canada doesn’t keep statistics on this but in America it seems that more than half of average 37 children who die hot car deaths each year are forgotten, the rest become trapped after playing unsupervised in unlocked cars. Safety organisations recommend that cars never be left unlocked when they are in garages and driveways.  They also recommend that you get into the habit of keeping your briefcase, phone and purse in the back seat of the car. This forces you to open the back door when you stop and then you are reminded of the child in the car.

The same experts also advise that you not leave your pets in the car in the summer.

The image is from a solar cooking website that gives instructinos for baking on your dashboard in the summer.

 

 

Posted under Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Spinal Cord Injury

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Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.

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