GREENSBORO, N.C. — It’s an alarming statistic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that, on average, every ten days, a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle, mostly by accident when someone forgets the child is in the car.
Because this could happen to anyone, Consumer Reports has an important warning everyone needs to hear, especially this time of year.
"We have a powerful brain, an autopilot brain memory system that gets us to do things automatically, and in that process, we lose awareness of other things in our mind, including that there’s a child in the car," said Dr. David Diamond, Professor of Psychology, University of South Florida.
Even on days with mild temperatures, the heat inside a vehicle can reach dangerous levels within an hour, posing significant health risks to small children or pets left inside.
"Children aren’t able to efficiently regulate their body temperature and their bodies can heat up three to five times faster than adults," said Dr. Emily Thomas, Consumer Reports.
A new safety tool: Some car manufacturers have introduced technology that goes beyond just reminding drivers if they leave something behind in the back seat. This new technology could detect an occupant.
However, this advancement is not widely available. Consumer Reports advises all parents to create a routine with their reminders every time they drive.
"You should create a habit of putting a personal item in the back seat, like your laptop or your phone. This will force you to visit the back seat after every trip," said Dr. Thomas.
Some people go so far as to say to put a shoe in the back seat to give yourself a cue so that you have that reminder when you get out of the car.