Intermountain Children’s Health & Public Safety Experts Offer Tools & Warn Utahns to Never Leave Children in a Vehicle

Kids in Hot Cars

In the heat of summer, safety experts at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital are urging drivers to never leave a child in a vehicle – even for a minute – and offering free tools to help drivers prevent injury or even death from a child overheating in a hot car.

“We want everyone to ‘Stop. Look. Lock.’ before leaving the vehicle to prevent accidental injury or death to a child,” said Michelle Jamison, community health children’s health program manager at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “The inside of your vehicle can heat up very quickly. In just 10 minutes, a car can heat up by 20 degrees and become deadly. Drivers must be vigilant and use visual aids and tools this summer to prevent tragedy.” 

Intermountain Children’s Health is offering free “Forget Me Not” window clings to help drivers remember a child is in the car. A vehicle escape tool also will be offered at select child safety events this summer, while supplies last. 

Every year, nearly 40 children across the country die after being left in a hot vehicle. In Utah, 13 children have died in hot vehicles between 1998 and 2022, and others have suffered heatstroke and other injuries in close calls.

Hot car tragedies can happen to anyone. They can occur when a caretaker forgets a child is in the car. This can be due to fatigue or change of routine – common for families during summer break and vacations – that push a person’s brain into autopilot, making it easier to forget.

A child’s body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult’s body temperature. Cracking a window has very little effect on the temperature inside the car. 

“Kids get hotter a lot faster than grownups do,” said Wyatt Argyle, trauma program manager at the Miller Family Campus. “Heatstroke begins when a child’s core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees. That’s why it’s so important to never leave a child in a car, even if we think we’ll only be a minute or two.” 

Additionally, 1 in 4 hot car deaths happen when an unattended child gains access to a vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

“If a child ever goes missing, check all vehicles and nearby water first,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Kristopher Cope said. “If you see a child in a car, call 911. If they’re in heat distress, you should remove them from the vehicle and cool them down as quickly as possible.”  

Here are some ways to prevent hot car injuries from Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• “Stop. Look. Lock.” when parking a vehicle.

• Forget-Me-Not / Spot the Tot window clings are available from Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital by request, while supplies last, by emailing PCHHOTDL@imail.org with your name, mailing address, and desired quantity (maximum 10 per person). 

These two-sided window clings go on the driver’s door window where they can be seen. They remind drivers to “Spot the Tot” by walking around the vehicle and checking for kids before backing out. Inside the vehicle, the sticker states “Forget Me Not,” which is a reminder to check the back seats before getting out of the vehicle. 

• Resqme keychain car escape tools will be available at various community safety events. The tool comes with a keychain and visor clip, which can be quickly removed and used to break a window or cut a seatbelt to free a child.

Here are some additional tips from experts to prevent hot-car injuries: 

• Never leave your child alone in a vehicle – even for a few minutes. It’s never a guarantee you will be right back.
• Make it a habit to always look in the back seats before getting out of your vehicle.
• Keep vehicles locked and keys out of the reach of children.  Curious children can get into unlocked vehicles and then often can’t get themselves out.
• Keep a visual reminder that a child is with you, like a stuffed animal or diaper bag in the seat next to you. 
• Place something you’ll need when you arrive at your destination, like a phone, bag, or cell phone in the back seat. That way, when you reach for the item, you’ll likely see the child. 

For more information about child well-being, safety and injury prevention, visit primarychildrens.org/safety.

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