National Heatstroke Prevention Day

Today, July 31, is National Heatstroke Prevention Day and AAA is reminding motorists of how quickly temperatures can rise inside their vehicles.  On a 95-degree day, a car can heat up to over 180-degrees. The steering wheel can reach 159 degrees, which is the temperature for cooking medium-rare meat, the seats can reach 162 degrees, which is the temperature for cooking ground beef, and the dash can reach 181 degrees, which is the temperature for cooking poultry.  At 104-degrees internal organs start to shut down. A child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s body. “Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children under the age of 14,” said Tiffany Wright, AAA spokesperson. “In fact, a child can die of heatstroke on a 72-degree day.”  Children are especially vulnerable to heatstroke because they can be left in hot cars with no way to free themselves, leading to 37 fatalities per year since 1998. There has been an increase in child vehicular heatstroke deaths every year since 2015. According to KidsinHotCars.org, a record-breaking 52 children died in a hot car in 2018, and more than 900 have died since 1990. To date, there have been 17 known reports of child deaths in hot vehicles so far this year.  Even when it is not too hot outside, it can get extremely hot inside the vehicle and in just a matter of minutes. AAA has joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind parents and caregivers to “look before you lock,” and pledge to never forget your child in the car. In conjunction with the National holiday and the rising number of children left in the back seat, lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at preventing these tragedies from occurring in the future.  AAA urges motorists to ACT. A is for avoid heatstroke by never leaving a child in the car alone, not even for a minute. C stands for create electronic reminders or put something in the backseat you need when exiting the car – for example, a cell phone, purse, wallet, briefcase or shoes. Always lock your car and never leave car keys or car remote where children can get to them. T is for take action and immediately call 9-1-1- if you notice a child unattended in a car. AAA Carolinas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, is a not-for-profit organization that serves more than 2.2 million members and the public with travel, automobile, and insurance services while being an advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.