Stop. Look. Lock.

Leigha Jordan
7 days ago
2 min read

Safe Kids Guilford County urges everyone to help prevent child heatstroke deaths by remembering to Stop. Look. Lock. when they park their vehicles.

Heatstroke remains one of the leading causes of non-crash vehicle-related fatalities among children, killing more than 1,000 children since 1998. On average, one child dies from heatstroke every 10 days in the United States by crawling into an unlocked vehicle or being left in a car, intentionally or unintentionally.

In 2024, 39 children died from vehicular heatstroke, an increase from the 29 children who died in 2023. One child has already died this year in a hot vehicle.

Vehicles can heat up very quickly, with temperatures rising 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes, creating a deadly situation for a child locked inside. Even on a cool, 60-degree day, a child can die in a hot car. Cracking the windows or parking in the shade does little to protect a trapped child, as children’s bodies warm three to five times faster than adults’ bodies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers these tips to help keep children safe:

Always lock your vehicle when you’re not using it. Even if you don’t have a child of your own, a child in the neighborhood could get into your unlocked vehicle.
Never leave a child alone in a vehicle, even if you think you’ll only be gone for a minute.
Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle – especially the back seat – before locking the doors and walking away. Place a stuffed animal in the passenger’s seat or your purse or briefcase in the back seat to help you remember that a child is in the back seat.
Ask your childcare provider or school to call if your child doesn’t arrive as expected.
Teach children that a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of their reach.
ACT if you see a child alone in a vehicle by calling 911 immediately and getting help. A child experiencing heat-related distress should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.

Adapted from NHTSA.gov/Heatstroke.