NHTSA Tells Parents, Caregivers Always Ask, “Where’s Baby” During Hot Summer Months

As the weather heats up, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is reminding everyone of the dangers of heatstroke when children are left unattended in vehicles.

Since 1998, nearly 900 children have died from being left in hot cars nationwide.

This past Saturday was National Heatstroke Prevention Day and Acting NHTSA Administrator Dr. Steven Cliff said his office wants parents and caregivers to always ask, “Where’s Baby?” when exiting a vehicle and before locking it.

Dr. Manisha Aderwald with Children’s Healthcare in Atlanta says children are more susceptible to heatstroke than adults because they cannot

Austin Hayes is an Assistant Fire Chief with the Alpharetta Fire Department.

Hayes said the inside of a vehicle can heat up very quickly, even parked in the shade.

If the temperature outside a vehicle is 77 degrees, within two minutes, it can rise inside the vehicle to 100 degrees and within five minutes it can rise inside to 114 degrees while the outside temperature has only risen to 79 degrees.

That’s a 20-degree increase inside the vehicle in just five minutes.

Alan Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says Georgia is one of the highest states in the country for child heatstroke deaths.

Georgia has suffered 35 vehicular heatstroke deaths since 1998.

Heatstroke fatalities have occurred all over Georgia, in both rural and urban areas, but the metro Atlanta area has had the highest number of deaths with 15 fatalities.