Hot-Car Deaths In Ohio By The Numbers, How To Prevent Tragedy

OHIO — As Ohio's summer weather hits new highs, there is a heightened risk of death for children left inside hot cars.

Between 1998 and 2020, Ohio had 20 hot car deaths among people 14 and younger, according to NoHeatStroke.org, a nonprofit that tracks the deaths of children in hot cars in the U.S.

Per capita, that’s 9.3 hot car deaths per 1 million kids age 14 and younger, the statistics show. Ohio ranks 22nd in child hot-car deaths per capita.

More than 100 children have died from heat stroke after having been left in hot cars in Texas alone, with Florida recording the next highest number of child hot-car deaths with 96, according to NoHeatStroke.com. Per capita, Oklahoma has recorded the most.

Only three states — Alaska, New Hampshire and Vermont — have not recorded any child hot-car deaths since 1998.

In Ohio, the most recent hot-car death occurred in July 2018, when a 6-month-old baby died after being left in the car.

Young children are at a heightened risk of dying of heat stroke, and not only due to their inability to escape a hot car. A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than that of an adult, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, and children can die when theirs reaches 107.

As the national child hot-car death toll since 1998 approaches 900, the NHTSA has issued renewed reminders and tips to help parents and other caregivers prevent leaving children in cars during hot weather.

From the NHTSA:

1. Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended — even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on.
2. Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle — front and back — before locking the door and walking away. Train yourself to “Park, Look, Lock,” or always ask yourself, "Where's Baby?"
3. Ask your child care provider to call if your child doesn’t show up for care as expected.
4. Place a personal item such as a purse or briefcase in the back seat, as another reminder to look before you lock. Write a note or place a stuffed animal in the passenger's seat to remind you that a child is in the back seat.
5. Store car keys out of a child's reach and teach children that a vehicle is not a play area.