Last month, I was part of a demonstration to see how hot it can get on the inside of a car.  It was a beautiful day in April with a high of 71 degrees.  We installed a thermometer on the outside of my car and on the dash inside my car with the windows closed.  I thought, as many parents probably do, that temperature in my car might get up to 90 degrees on such a beautiful morning.  After two hours, the temperature in my car was over 120 degrees, and continued to rise!

Can you imagine how hot it could get inside a car when the outside temperature soars to 95 or 100 on a normal Texas summer day?  It only takes 10 minutes for the temperature inside of a vehicle to rise by 20 degrees.  A quick trip inside the grocery store might only take 10 minutes, but in that time your car heats up very fast.

A child’s body temperature rises 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s, making children more vulnerable to heatstroke.  Heatstroke can occur at body temperature about 104 degrees.  On a hot summer day, it would only take a few minutes for the temperature in your car to reach dangerous levels.

According to Safe Kids, heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children.  On average, a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle every eight days.  Keep your kids safe by remembering to ACT:

• Avoid heatstroke-related injury or death by never leaving your child in a car alone. Make sure to lock your car when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in by themselves.
• Create reminders by putting something you need in the back of your car next to your child, such as a cell phone or purse, so that you remember to get your child out.
• Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911.  It could save a life.

Enjoy the warmer months this spring and summer and all of the fun activities that come with it, but remember to stay safe!  For more information, contact Kate Whitney at the County Extension Office at 254-435-2331.